By the time Samuel Wilder King took office as the territory's 11th governor in 1954, he already had left an imprint on the future of Hawai'i.
King, who was part-Hawaiian, graduated from Saint Louis School and the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md. He served in the Navy for 14 years, attaining the rank of lieutenant commander, before returning to Hawai'i in 1925 to work in real estate and insurance.
King's political career began as a member of the Honolulu Board of Supervisors (which later became the City Council) from 1932 to 1934. The next year, he served as the territory's delegate to Congress, a post he would hold until 1943. King is credited with initiating the first congressional hearing on statehood, which was held in Hawai'i in 1935.
King returned to the military during World War II, then returned to Hawai'i to serve on the Governor's Emergency Housing Committee (1946), the Hawai'i Statehood Commission (1947 to 1953) and the 1950 Constitutional Convention, of which he was president.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower appointed King governor in 1953. At his inauguration, King recited part of his address in Hawaiian.
King's term was marked by heated veto battles with the new Democrat-controlled Legislature, including a measure to raise the state excise tax from 2.5 percent to 3.5 percent.
King served until 1957. He died on March 24, 1959, six days after Eisenhower signed the act making Hawai'i a state.
