American journalist
Colbert Isaiah King (born September 20, 1939)[1] is an American columnist for The Washington Post and the deputy editor of the Post 's editorial page. In 2003, he won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary .
Early life
King was born to Amelia Colbert King and Isaiah King III[2] and grew up in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Washington, D.C.[3] He attended Thaddeus Stevens Elementary School , Francis Junior High School, and Paul Laurence Dunbar High School . At Dunbar, he was a member of JROTC as well as the school's championship drill team.[2] After graduating from high school in 1957, he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in government from Howard University in 1961.[1]
Career
From 1961 to 1963, King served as an officer in the United States Army Adjutant General's Corps , then worked as special officer for the United States Department of State through 1970, eventually leaving over objections to the Counter Intelligence Program (COINTELPRO ).[2] He then spent a year on a fellowship at the Department of Health, Education and Welfare , working with James Farmer to draw national attention to sickle-cell anemia and other underserved minority health care issues.[2]
From 1971 to 1972, King was a VISTA volunteer.[2] In 1972, he became minority staff director of the United States Senate Committee on the District of Columbia , where he helped draft the District of Columbia Home Rule Act .
In 1976, King became Deputy Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Treasury Department , then was appointed U.S. executive director to the World Bank by President Jimmy Carter .[2]
In 1980, he became executive vice president for the Middle East and Africa at Riggs Bank ,[2] where he served for 10 years and became a member of the board of directors .[1]
King joined The Washington Post 's editorial board in 1990, then became the editorial page's deputy editor in 2000.[1] He began writing a weekly column at the suggestion of Post editor Meg Greenfield .[4]
He was a regular television panelist on the weekly political discussion show Inside Washington until the show ceased production in December 2013.[5]
Awards
In 2003, King won the Pulitzer Prize in Commentary "for his against-the-grain columns that speak to people in power with ferocity and wisdom".[1]
Personal life
King lives in Washington, D.C. , with his wife, Gwendolyn Stewart King ,[6] who served as Commissioner of the U.S. Social Security Administration under President George H.W. Bush .[7] They met in the late 1950s at Howard University[8] and married on July 3, 1961,[2] and have three children.[1] King's son Rob King is senior vice president of SportsCenter and News at ESPN .[9]
References
^ a b c d e f "Colbert I. King of The Washington Post" . www.pulitzer.org . 2003. Retrieved 2017-10-20 .
^ a b c d e f g h "Colbert I. King" . www.thehistorymakers.org . The HistoryMakers. May 4, 2005. Retrieved 2017-10-21 .
^ "A 'Depraved' Foggy Bottom" . Fishbowl DC . AdWeek. January 21, 2005. Retrieved 2017-10-20 .
^ Milk, Leslie (2010-01-01). "2009's Washingtonians of the Year: Colbert I. King" . Washingtonian . Retrieved 2017-10-23 .
^ Farhi, Paul (September 8, 2013). "After more than 40 years, 'Inside Washington' will go off the air" . The Washington Post . Retrieved October 20, 2017 .
^ "Colbert I. King" . National Press Foundation . Retrieved 2017-10-23 .
^ Associated Press (1989-07-15). "Gwendolyn King Selected to Head Social Security" . Los Angeles Times . ISSN 0458-3035 . Retrieved 2017-10-23 .
^ King, Colbert I. (February 19, 2005). "For Redder, for Bluer" . The Washington Post . Retrieved October 22, 2017 .
^ Hare, Kristen (June 18, 2016). "Rob King and Colbert I. King on journalism, fatherhood and a new generation" . Pontyer . Retrieved October 21, 2017 .
External links