Gov. Gregoire signs bill renaming King County in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

For Immediate Release: April 19, 2005

OLYMPIA � April 19, 2005 � Gov. Christine Gregoire today signed a bill renaming King County in honor of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

�It is a great honor and privilege to sign this bill and rename King County in honor of the great spiritual, social and political leader, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,� said Gregoire. �When Rev. King visited Seattle in 1961, the people of King County welcomed him with open arms. He inspired them to fight against discrimination and injustice.�

The governor said renaming the county honors Rev. King and all those he inspired, then and now, and all they accomplished in turning the tide against racism. �I hope that the name King County will inspire coming generations to keep up that fight,� she said.

The King County Council renamed the county after Martin Luther King Jr. in 1986, but a similar change was not made in state law at the time.

King County was established in 1852 when Washington was still part of the Oregon Territory. The county was named after William Rufus Devane King, who was a long-tenured senator from Alabama and vice president of the United States under Franklin Pierce. King died shortly after becoming vice president on April 18, 1853.

Senate Bill 5332 takes effect 90 days after adjournment of the Legislature.