Gwendolyn King

Last updated

Colbert I. King
(m. 1961)
Gwendolyn King
Gwendolyn S. King.gif
Official portrait
Commissioner of the Social Security Administration
In office
August 1, 1989 September 30, 1992
Education Howard University (BA)
George Washington University (MPA)

Gwendolyn S. King (born September 23, 1940) [1] is an American businesswoman. From 1989 to 1992 she was the Commissioner of the U.S. Social Security Administration. [2]

Contents

Early life

King attended Howard University as an undergraduate, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in French and education in 1962. [3] [4] She later attended the George Washington University for graduate courses in public administration. [3] [4]

Career

King began her career teaching in Niagara Falls, New York and Washington, DC. [1]

Beginning in 1971, she worked for the Department of Health and Human Services (then called the Department of Health, Education and Welfare). [4]

From 1978 to 1979, [1] she served as senior legislative assistant to Senator John Heinz. [5]

In 1986, she was appointed Deputy Assistant to President Ronald Reagan and Director of the office for Intergovernmental Affairs. [6]

In 1989, President George H.W. Bush appointed King as Commissioner of the Social Security Administration. [7] King became the 11th Commissioner [1] and the first black woman to hold the position. [4] She served through 1992. [8]

King is a retired member of the board of directors of Marsh and McLennan Companies, Lockheed-Martin Corporation and Monsanto Company. [9] She is also formerly a director of Pharmacia. She is also a past director of the National Association of Corporate Directors. [10]

Awards

King has been awarded honorary doctorates from the University of New Haven,the University of Maryland-Baltimore County, and Howard University. [3]

Personal life

King is married to Colbert I. King, Washington Post columnist and the editorial page's deputy editor. [11] The two met at Howard in the late 1950s [12] and married in 1961. [13] They have three adult children.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Secretary of Labor</span> U.S. cabinet member and head of the U.S. Department of Labor

The United States secretary of labor is a member of the Cabinet of the United States, and as the head of the United States Department of Labor, controls the department, and enforces and suggests laws involving unions, the workplace, and all other issues involving any form of business-person controversies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexis Herman</span> 23rd United States Secretary of Labor

Alexis Margaret Herman formerly served as the 23rd U.S. Secretary of Labor under President Bill Clinton; she was the first African-American to hold the position. Prior to serving as Secretary, she was Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White House Fellows</span> Staff of the U.S. president

The White House Fellows program is a non-partisan federal fellowship established via executive order by President Lyndon B. Johnson in October 1964. The fellowship is one of America’s most prestigious programs for leadership and public service, offering exceptional Americans first-hand experience working at the highest levels of the federal government. The fellowship was founded based upon a suggestion from John W. Gardner, then the president of Carnegie Corporation and later the sixth secretary of health, education, and welfare.

Morton H. Halperin is an American analyst who deals with U.S. foreign policy, arms control, civil liberties, and the workings of bureaucracies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Counselor to the President</span> American political position

Counselor to the President is a title used by high-ranking political advisors to the president of the United States and senior members of the White House Office.

Colbert Isaiah King 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.

Executive Schedule is the system of salaries given to the highest-ranked appointed officials in the executive branch of the U.S. government. The president of the United States appoints individuals to these positions, most with the advice and consent of the United States Senate. They include members of the president's Cabinet, several top-ranking officials of each executive department, the directors of some of the more prominent departmental and independent agencies, and several members of the Executive Office of the President.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Betsy Markey</span> American politician (born 1956)

Elizabeth Helen Markey is a former American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives for Colorado's 4th congressional district from 2009 to 2011. She also served as assistant secretary for intergovernmental affairs in the United States Department of Homeland Security. She is a member of the Democratic Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valerie Jarrett</span> American businesswoman and a former government official

Valerie June Jarrett is an American businesswoman and former government official serving as the chief executive officer of the Obama Foundation since 2021. She was the longest-serving senior advisor to U.S. President Barack Obama. She was assistant to the president for public engagement and intergovernmental affairs, overseeing the office of the same name, and chaired the White House Council on Women and Girls. Before that, she was the chief executive officer of The Habitat Company and served as a co-chair of the Obama–Biden Transition Project.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Faith Whittlesey</span> American politician

Faith Amy Whittlesey was an American Republican politician, White House Senior Staff member, and author. She was noted for her efforts to communicate Ronald Reagan's entire policy agenda to U.S. opinion leaders and for bringing together for the first time in the Reagan White House evangelical, Catholic, and other conservative religious groups who opposed legalized abortion and were concerned about moral and cultural decline and the break-up of the family. These groups became a significant component of the Reagan coalition as they grew more politically self-conscious in the 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juliette Kayyem</span> American politician, author, and analyst

Juliette N. Kayyem is an American former government official and author. She is host of the Boston-based radio channel WGBH (FM)'s podcast The SCIF, and has also appeared on CNN and Boston Public Radio, and written columns for The Boston Globe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evan Ryan</span> American public servant (born 1971)

Evan Maureen Ryan is an American serving as White House cabinet secretary in the administration of Joe Biden. She previously served as Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) in the Obama administration (2013–2017) and was assistant for intergovernmental affairs and public liaison for then-Vice President Joe Biden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carolyn Colvin</span>

Carolyn W. Colvin was the Acting Commissioner of Social Security Administration in the United States, appointed on February 14, 2013, having succeeded Michael J. Astrue. On June 20, 2014, President Barack Obama nominated her to serve as the commissioner. On September 18, 2014, the United States Senate Committee on Finance approved her nomination by a 22–2 vote. However, her nomination was never brought up for a vote before the full Senate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dorcas Hardy</span> American government official (1946–2019)

Dorcas Ruth Hardy Spagnolo was an American healthcare specialist. She served as the 10th Commissioner of the Social Security Administration (SSA) from 1986 to 1989. She was the first woman to serve as SSA Commissioner. Hardy held conservative views and remained active in politics after her tenure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall</span> American government official (born 1959)

Elizabeth D. Sherwood-Randall is an American national security and energy leader, public servant, educator, and author currently serving as the 11th United States Homeland Security Advisor to President Joe Biden since 2021. She previously served in the Clinton and Obama Administrations and held appointments at academic institutions and think tanks.

The presidency of Ronald Reagan began on January 20, 1981, when Ronald Reagan was inaugurated as the 40th president of the United States, and ended on January 20, 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs</span> Unit within the U.S. presidents office

The White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs (IGA) is a unit of the White House Office, within the Executive Office of the President. It serves as the primary liaison between the White House and state, county (or county-equivalent), local, and tribal governments. The office focuses on building new and maintaining current relationships with governors, tribal leaders, mayors, state legislators, and county executives. The Office of Intergovernmental Affairs works with federal agencies and departments to ensure appropriate coordination between state, local, and tribal governments and the federal government. The Director of Intergovernmental Affairs at the White House Office for the Biden administration was Julie Chavez Rodriguez until she resigned on May 16, 2023 to become Biden's Campaign Manager for his 2024 reelection bid. Tom Perez became Director on June 12, 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christopher Emery</span> US government official and author (born 1957)

Christopher Beauregard Emery is an American author and former government official. He was a White House Usher during the Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and Clinton administrations. Emery later served as the chief information officer of the United States Department of Justice National Security Division and the Architect of the Capitol. He was chief enterprise architect of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Emery is the author of the memoir White House Usher: Stories from the Inside (2017).

<i>And the Walls Came Tumbling Down</i> Book by Ralph Abernathy

And the Walls Came Tumbling Down is a 1989 autobiography written by civil rights leader Ralph Abernathy. The book charts his life and work with his best friend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in their leadership of the Civil Rights Movement to help African Americans obtain equal rights with white Americans. His book engendered much controversy due to Abernathy's allegations of King's infidelity the night before he was assassinated.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. "Gwendolyn Stewart King". Archived from the original on December 11, 2019. Retrieved October 22, 2017.
  2. "Board of Directors and Executive Officers". MMC. Archived from the original on May 17, 2011. Retrieved December 6, 2010.
  3. 1 2 3 Hawkins, Carol Hooks (2008). American Women Leaders: 1,560 Current Biographies. McFarland. p. 204. ISBN   9780786452750.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Smith, Jessie Carney (2012). Black Firsts: 4,000 Ground-Breaking and Pioneering Historical Events. Visible Ink Press. p. 289. ISBN   9781578594245.
  5. "Social Security Online History Pages" . Retrieved December 6, 2010.
  6. "Appointment of Gwendolyn S. King as Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs". Reagan Library. April 17, 1986. Archived from the original on October 23, 2017. Retrieved October 22, 2017.
  7. Associated Press (July 15, 1989). "Gwendolyn King Selected to Head Social Security". Los Angeles Times. ISSN   0458-3035 . Retrieved October 23, 2017.
  8. Associated Press (October 2, 1992). "Acting Social Security Chief". Los Angeles Times. ISSN   0458-3035 . Retrieved October 23, 2017.
  9. "Gwendolyn S. King Profile - Forbes.com". Forbes . Archived from the original on March 1, 2011. Retrieved December 6, 2010.
  10. "Gwendolyn King: Executive Profile & Biography – BusinessWeek". Bloomberg Businessweek . Retrieved December 6, 2010.[ dead link ]
  11. "Colbert I. King". National Press Foundation. Retrieved October 23, 2017.
  12. King, Colbert I. (February 19, 2005). "For Redder, for Bluer". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 22, 2017.
  13. "Colbert I. King". www.thehistorymakers.org. The HistoryMakers. May 4, 2005. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
Political offices
Preceded by Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs
1986–1988
Served alongside: Mitch Daniels, Frank Donatelli (Political and Intergovernmental Affairs)
Succeeded by
Preceded by Commissioner of the Social Security Administration
1989–1992
Succeeded by
Louis Enoff
Acting