Oral history with Mr. Martin Thomas King, Jr.

              Oral history with Mr. Martin Thomas King, Jr.
F341.5 . M57 vol. 748, pt. 2
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Biography
On September 13, 1924, Mr. Martin Thomas King Jr. was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi, the fourth generation of his family there. His parents were Martin T. King and Ethel Tucker King; his father was a hardware salesman in Vicksburg, and his mother was a homemaker. As a child, Mr. King witnessed the flood of 1927.
During his first- grade year, Mr. King attended public school in Vicksburg. For the remainder of his eleven grades, he attended Saint Aloyisius High School from which he was graduated in 1942. From December 10, 1942, to May, 1946, Mr. King served in the Navy, having served part of that time in the Pacific theater of operations. He was in Naval Aviation, attending schools at the University of South Carolina, the University of Georgia, and the University of North Carolina. He went aboard the USS Goss as a communications yeoman, and fought in the liberation of the Philippines.
Following World War II, Mr. King attended Delta State College from which he earned a B. S. Ed. in 1950. He taught school in Cleveland, and earned his master's degree in administration from the University of Mississippi. In 1957, Mr. King left teaching and worked in the real estate and insurance businesses. In 1959, his father- in- law died, and Mr. King and his wife began managing the Thweat- King Funeral Home. In 1988, Mr. King retired from the funeral business.
In May of 1969, Mr. King won the mayoral race in Cleveland, and in July 1, 1969, he took office. At the time of this writing, he is completing his eighth four- year term.
On June 5, 1955, Mr. King married Sue Thweat; they have two children and three grandchildren. Mr. King enjoys golf, boating, and traveling.
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