HistoryLink: King County's name

From HistoryLink: King County's Name

January 15 marks the birthday of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the eponym of King County. Of course, this was not always the case. The county was originally named for U.S. Senator William Rufus King, an Alabama slave owner who died days after being sworn in as Vice President in 1853.

In 1986 Ron Sims, then the first African American member of the King County Council, led the effort to "rename" King County for the modern martyr.

The former Empire Way was also renamed for King and in 1991 a monument was erected to his memory

The 1986 county council resolution renaming the county for Martin Luther King was later affirmed by the Washington State Legislature and signed into law by Governor Christine Gregoire on April 19, 2005.