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David S. King papers, 1959-1966

Overview of the Collection

Creator
King, David S. (David Sjodahl), 1917-2009
Title
David S. King papers
Dates
1959-1966 (inclusive)
Quantity
33 linear feet
Collection Number
MS 0033
Summary
The David S. King papers (1959-1966) offer documents regarding the career of this Utah Democrat, who served in the U. S. House of Representatives for Utah's Second Congressional District from 1958 to 1962 and from 1964 to 1966. In 1962, he was defeated in his election bid for the Senate by incumbent Senator Wallace F. Bennett. The collection holds constituent and other correspondence, reports, newsletters, press releases, statements and testimony, pamphlets and other publications, legislative documents, committee hearings and reports, and other documents.
Repository
University of Utah Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library
University of Utah
295 South 1500 East
Salt Lake City, UT
84112-0860

Telephone: 8015818863
special@library.utah.edu
Access Restrictions

Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.

Some original items have been removed and placed in Reserve. Access must be given by the Manuscripts Curator and by appointment. An archivist must remain with the items if being used. Photocopies are available in the collection for research use.

Languages
English
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Historical Note

David Sjodahl King, a Utah Democrat and attorney, was a Representative from Utah's 2nd Congressional district to the United States House of Representatives. From 1959 to 1966 he served three terms in Congress, his third term coming after an unsuccessful bid for a Senate seat in 1962. As a member of the 86th, 87th, and 89th Congresses, Representative King worked in the administrations of three different United States Presidents, and was a part of the nation's governing body during times of such political and social activity in this country as the civil rights movement and the United States' intervention into Vietnam.

Congressman King was born June 20, 1917 in Salt Lake City, Utah. In that same year his father, William H. King, was elected as United States Senator from Utah, a seat which he held for the next twenty four years. As the son of a United States Senator, King spent his childhood in Washington, D. C. but returned to Utah to attend college at the University of Utah. He served as president of his senior class, graduated with a B. A. in Economics, and was accepted as a member of the Phi Beta Kappa scholastic honor society. Following two years of missionary work for his church, King returned to Washington to attend law school at Georgetown University. After graduating with honors in 1942, he spent one year as a law clerk for Justice Harold M. Stephens at the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. Upon returning to Utah in 1943, King spent two years as a counsel to the Utah State Tax Commission; in 1945 he established a private law practice in Salt Lake City.

As a resident of Utah, Congressman King was an active participant in the local, civic and business community. He taught commercial law at Stevens Henager College for two years; he was a member of the Board of Directors for the Salt Lake Junior Chamber of Commerce; he served as vice-president and director of a finance company; with a fluent knowledge of the French language, he broadcast numerous programs in French over the Voice of America.

In 1958 King was elected to the United States House of Representatives having defeated Republican William Dawson. He served for two consecutive terms until 1962, at which time he chose not to run for re-election, but to bid for Wallace F. Bennett's Senate seat. King lost that election but was nevertheless elected to a third term in the House in 1964.

During all three of his terms, the congressman served on the Committee of Interior and Insular Affairs. Consequently much of his interest and work centered upon matters that directly affected Utah. Projects such as reclamation, desalinization of water, and national parks and monuments received much of his energy and attention. He also served on the Committee on Government Operations for his third term. His work in these areas enabled him to help secure contracts for Thiokol, Hercules, and Sperry Rand corporations, promote helium development in Utah, and play a significant role in congressional investigations into the Vietnam conflict in 1966. In addition the congressman served as a member of the Government Operation Subcommittees on Foreign Operations and Government Information, Government Activities, and Natural Resources and Power; and as a member of the Interior Subcommittees on Mines and Mining, Public Lands, and National Parks and Recreation.

In 1967 Representative King left Congress and was appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson as a United States Ambassador to Mauritius and the Malagasy Republic. He remained in this post for two and a half years at which time he returned to Washington, D. C. to practice law.

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Content Description

The David S. King papers (1959-1966) are comprised of those materials that were used and collected by Congressman King during his three terms in the United States House of Representatives and during a two year interim period between terms. These materials, particularly those associated with the committees on which King served, provide the researcher with valuable information pertaining to such national issues as education and Vietnam, and more specific Utah matters as reclamation and water, national parks, mineral exploration, and industrial development.

The collection consists of written manuscript materials, photographs, tapes, records, and films. The written materials make up by far the most extensive portion of the collection, filling some 79 boxes with manuscript papers. These written materials consist of constituent and official correspondence, reports, newsletters, press releases, statements and testimony, pamphlets and publications, bills, committee hearings and reports, memorandums, graphs, charts, and maps. These types of materials appear consistently throughout the collection. Therefore, to prevent repetitiveness, in most cases specific descriptions of folder contents have been omitted. Where warranted however, brief statements summarizing folder content have been included. This applies to descriptions of specific subject matter of particular interest or importance and any materials pertaining to Utah affairs.

The collection consists of three major sections. They concern his terms in office and in-between. There is little material from King's first two terms in office or from the interim period between terms. Most of the material pertains to Congressman King's senatorial campaign against Wallace F. Bennett. Also included is correspondence and political files which have been arranged alphabetically by subject. King's third term, is by far the largest of the three sections. It represents a nearly complete compilation of his work in Congress during 1965-1966. These papers contain information on a wide variety of government and political subjects, with particular emphasis in the areas of Interior and Insular Affairs and Government Operations, the two committees on which King served. The original filing system used by the congressman's staff has been retained and the collection has been organized according to that system. A copy of this filing guide may be found in Bx 16 Fd 1. The third section has been further divided into ten segments:

Correspondence (Boxes 10-15)

This includes copies of outgoing correspondence written by King and is arranged alphabetically. Much of this correspondence appears elsewhere in the collection, its location being determined by its matter. Because of the alphabetical arrangement, the names of individuals have not been indexed.

Departments (Boxes 16-34)

The Departments are the largest segment and consist of materials associated with the various departments of government. This includes the State and Treasury Departments, Military Departments, Justice, the Post Office, Interior, Agriculture, Labor, and Health, Education and Welfare. Some subjects that have materials pertaining to Utah include defense establishments, Interior, the Bureau of Land Management, mining and education.

Independent Agencies (Boxes 35-39)

These smaller agencies include the Atomic Energy Commission, the Indian Claims Commission, and other agencies, commissions and boards.

Committees (Boxes 40-51)

The papers that emerge from committees consist of materials pertaining to legislation that is to be put before the Congress. Issues generating the most controversy and interest include common situs picketing, repeal of the Taft-Hartly Act (right to work), gun control, education bills and reclamation projects in Utah.

King (Boxes 52-64)

This section contains materials from those areas in which King was personally involved. These include bills he sponsored before the House, his work on the Committees of Government Operations and Interior and Insular Affairs, press releases, newsletters and speeches. Of particular interest are those items in government operations dealing with King's participation in the Vietnam Congressional Investigations which included a trip to South Vietnam. Materials in the Interior and Insular Affairs have a particular bearing on Utah as most of the papers deal with water and reclamation projects in Utah and the West.

Utah Affairs (Boxes 65-70)

Although materials pertaining to Utah may be found throughout the collection, this section contains items that deal specifically with Utah matters. It includes such subjects as the Governor's office, industrial development, education, water and various reclamation projects.

Office Files (Boxes 71-72)

This section contains those items associated with the logistics and technicalities of running a Congressman's office. Bills, receipts, subscriptions, orders for office equipment and instructions for office procedure comprise the bulk of this material. Also included are several folders, pertaining specifically to King's Utah office.

Political Files (Box 73)

This is an alphabetical arrangement by subject of various political matters such as the John Birch Society and the Democratic National Committee. This section also includes some materials on other politicians such as Frank E. Moss, Sherman P. Lloyd and Laurence Burton.

Courts and National Affairs (Boxes 74-77)

This section contains materials associated with the United States Supreme Court and circuit courts and subjects of national interest--labor, food and drugs, fuels, the elderly and urban renewal among others.

Reference Files (Boxes 78-79)

The reference files contain materials on subjects that for the most part have already appeared in the collection, but these items provide source material not found elsewhere. Draft bills, notes, recommendations, department policies, notes of meetings and conferences, publications and briefings are examples of these materials.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

The library does not claim to control copyright for all materials in the collection. An individual depicted in a reproduction has privacy rights as outlined in Title 45 CFR, part 46 (Protection of Human Subjects). For further information, please review the J. Willard Marriott Library's Use Agreement and Reproduction Request forms.

Preferred Citation

Collection Name, Collection Number, Box Number, Folder Number. Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library, The University of Utah.

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Administrative Information

Separated Materials

Photographs and audio-visual materials were transferred to the Multimedia Division of Special Collections (P0033 and A0033).

Processing Note

Processed by Barbara Dickey in 1979.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Finding aid created by Barbara Dickey.
1979 (last modified: 2017)

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