Gwendolyn King | |
|---|---|
Official portrait | |
| 11th Commissioner of the Social Security Administration | |
| In office August 1, 1989 –September 30, 1992 | |
| President | George H. W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Dorcas Hardy |
| Succeeded by | Louis Enoff (acting) |
| Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs | |
| In office April 17,1986 –May 2,1988 | |
| President | Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | Deborah Steelman |
| Succeeded by | Andy Card |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 23,1940 |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| 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 11th Commissioner of the U.S. Social Security Administration. [2]
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]
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]
King has been awarded honorary doctorates from the University of New Haven, the University of Maryland-Baltimore County, and Howard University. [3]
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.