John W. King, of Newman, who has for several years been prominent in the politics of the County, and at present is associated with the Newman bank, was born 1n Bourbon County, Kentucky, October 13, 1841. He is a son of David A. and Jane Elizabeth (Mitchell) King, who were natives of Clark and Montgomery counties, Kentucky, respectively. His father, who was born in 1818, followed the occupation of farming, removed from Kentucky to Champaign County, Illinois, in 1855, and there his death occurred in 1896. His mother died in 1882, aged fifty years. His paternal grand-father, Robert Cass King, was a native of Virginia, and his maternal grandfather, John W. Mitchell, was also born in Virginia, in Culpeper County.
John W. King was reared on his father’s farm and attended the public schools of the neighborhood. In 1862 he joined Company G, Seventy-second Illinois Volunteers, as a private, and served three years and four months, part of the time as a non-commissioned officer. After the war he entered the state normal school, where he remained for three years. Leaving there he at-tended Bryant & Stratton’s Business College at Chicago, where he remained one year. He then taught school for some years in Champaign County, when, in 1872, he came to New-man, and for three years held the principal ship of the Newman schools. In 1875 he was elected to the office of County superintendent to fill a vacancy, which he held up to the next general election in 1877, when he was re-elected and served up till 1881. In April of the latter year he resigned to accept the appointment of postmaster of Newman, which position he held under the administrations of both Garfield and Arthur. At the expiration of his term he accepted the position of bookkeeper in the New-man Bank, which position he held up till 1890. I n that year he was elected County clerk, and was re-elected in 1894, serving in that office up until 1898, when he re-entered the Newman Bank.
In 1872 Mr. King was united in marriage to Miss Kate C. Fry, of near Champaign. They have five children: Blanche, Earl G., Katie W., Roscoe W. and Harry T. Mr. King has been collector of Newman Township some four or five terms; is a member of nearly all the secret societies, is trustee of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Newman, and a stanch Republican in politics. Both as a soldier, officer and citizen Mr. King has been faithful in the discharge of his regular duties and the performance of any special work assigned to him.