Clyde L. King

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Clyde L. King
Pennsylvania Secretary of Revenue
In office
1931–1933
GovernorGifford Pinchot
Preceded byCharles Johnson
Succeeded byLeon D. Metzger
Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
In office
1923–1926
GovernorGifford Pinchot
Preceded byBernard J. Myers
Succeeded byE. H. Conarroe
Personal details
Born(1879-05-01)May 1, 1879
Burlington, Kansas, U.S.
DiedJune 21, 1937(1937-06-21) (aged 58)
Westtown Township, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Alma materKansas State Normal School
University of Michigan
University of Pennsylvania

Clyde Lyndon King (May 1, 1879 – June 21, 1937) was an American academic and government official who was Secretary of State and Finance of Pennsylvania from 1923 to 1926 and Pennsylvania Secretary of Revenue from 1931 to 1932.

Early life

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King was born on May 1, 1879 in Burlington, Kansas. He taught in Mound City, Kansas for three years, then attended Kansas State Normal School, graduating in 1904. He earned his bachelor's and master of arts degrees from the University of Michigan.[1]

Academia

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King was an American history instructor at Kansas Normal College in the summer of 1907, then held the Peter White fellowship in American history at Michigan from 1907 to 1908.[1] From 1908 to 1910, King was a professor of economics and sociology at the University of Pennsylvania.[2] He then served as an acting professor at the University of Colorado.[3][4] In 1911, he earned his doctor of philosophy from Penn and was awarded the Harrison Fellowship.[2] In 1920, he became a professor of political science at the Wharton School. He remained a member of the Penn faculty for the remainder of his life.[3]

King was also a prolific writer, authoring History of the Government of Denver, Regulation of Municipal Utilities, and Study of the Trolley Freight Service and Philadelphia Markets. He was an assistant editor of the The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science and an associate editor of National Municipal Review. In 1914, he was promoted to editor of The Annals, a position he held until 1929.[2]

Government service

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During World War I, King worked for the United States Food Administration and spent two years as a member of the Tri-State Milk Commission.[3] President Warren G. Harding appointed King to the Agricultural Conference of 1921 and the Unemployment Conference of 1922.[3][4]

In 1922, King chaired the Pinchot citizens' committee, which investigate the financial affairs of the commonwealth on behalf of gubernatorial candidate Gifford Pinchot.[5] In 1923, King was appointed secretary of state and finance by Pinchot.[6] He resigned in 1926 to return to the University of Pennsylvania, but remained an advisor to the Governor and directed an industrial survey of the Central and Western Pennsylvania coal counties.[7]

When Pinchot returned to the Governor's office in 1931, King was appointed secretary of revenue.[8] In 1932, he was appointed chairman of the Public Service Commission.[9] On behalf of Pinchot, King fought to remove S. Ray Shelby and Samuel Walker from the commission. When testifing before a legislative committee investigating the commission, King exonerated Shelby and Walker.[10] As a result, Pinchot removed King from the PSC. King challenged his removal in court, but was unsuccessful.[4]

In May 1933, King became chief of the milk section of the Agricultural Adjustment Administration.[11] He was heavily criticized by farmers and consumers for being too friendly to milk distributors and resigned in January 1934.[12]

King died of a heart attack on June 21, 1937 at his home in Westtown Township, Pennsylvania.[4][3]

References

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  1. ^ a b Great Events in North Carolina History. 1908. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
  2. ^ a b c "Interesting Delta Sigs". The Carnation of Delta Sigma Phi. XIII (4): 29–31. March 1916. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Heart Attack Proves Fatal". The Washington Reporter. June 21, 1937. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
  4. ^ a b c d "Clyde L. King Dies Suddenly". The Pittsburgh Press. June 21, 1937. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
  5. ^ "State Pension Fund Dwindled Down To $1,500". The Pittsburgh Press. July 31, 1922. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
  6. ^ "Dr. Clyde King Is Given Place". Gettysburg Times. June 12, 1923. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
  7. ^ "Pinchot Names New Secretary". Beaver Falls Tribune. September 30, 1926. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
  8. ^ "Lewis May Get Highway Post". Reading Eagle. December 12, 1930. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
  9. ^ "King Assumes New P. S. C. Post". Gettysburg Times. October 1, 1932. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
  10. ^ "King Testimony Kills State Utility Probe". The Pittsburgh Press. February 22, 1933. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
  11. ^ "Dr. Clyde L. King Named to U.S. Post". Gettysburg Times. July 22, 1933. Retrieved 18 October 2025.
  12. ^ "Milk Trust Loses 'Friend At Court'". The Belgrade Journal. January 4, 1934. Retrieved 18 October 2025.