Samuel Pailthorpe King

Samuel Pailthorpe King
Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii
In office
November 30, 1984 – December 7, 2010
Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii
In office
1974–1984
Preceded by Martin Pence
Succeeded by Harold Michael Fong
Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii
In office
June 28, 1972 – November 30, 1984
Appointed by Richard Nixon
Preceded by Cyrus Nils Tavares
Succeeded by David Alan Ezra
Personal details
Born Samuel Pailthorpe King
(1916-04-13)April 13, 1916
Hankow, China
Died December 7, 2010(2010-12-07) (aged 94)
Honolulu, Hawaii
Political party Republican
Education Yale University (B.S.)
Yale Law School (LL.B.)

Samuel Pailthorpe King (April 13, 1916 – December 7, 2010) was an American lawyer and judge. He served as a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii.

Life

King was born April 13, 1916 in Hankow, China while his father was in the United States Navy. His grandfather was ship captain and politician James A. King (1832–1899). He lost his left eye as a child of about six. After the family returned to Hawaii, he attended and graduated from Punahou School. His mother was part Native Hawaiian Pauline Nawahineokalai Evans.[1] His father Samuel Wilder King (1886–1959), also part native Hawaiian, later became the delegate to the United States Congress from the Territory of Hawaii, and then Governor.[2] He attended Yale University where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in 1937 and Yale Law School, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Laws in 1940.[3]

Personal

King married Anne van Patten Grilk (born 1921) on July 8, 1944 in Boulder, Colorado. They had a son Samuel Pailthorpe King, Jr., and daughters Louise King Lanzilotti and Charlotte "Becky" King Stretch.[4]

King started in private law practice in Washington, D.C. in 1942. During World War II, he joined the United States Navy as a Japanese language translator from 1942 to 1946, and the Naval Reserve from 1946 to 1967. He returned to private practice of law in Honolulu, Hawaii from 1946 to 1961. He was a district magistrate for the City and County of Honolulu from 1956 to 1961. Governor William F. Quinn appointed him judge to the First Circuit Court of Hawaii from 1961 to 1970, and then a judge on the Family Court of Hawaii from 1966 to 1970.[5] In 1970 he resigned as a judge and ran as a Republican for governor of Hawaii, losing to incumbent John A. Burns.[3] He returned to private law practice from 1970 to 1972.[5]

Federal judicial service

King was nominated by President Richard Nixon on May 22, 1972 to a seat vacated by Judge Cyrus Nils Tavares on the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on June 28, 1972, and received his commission on June 28, 1972. He served as Chief Judge from 1974 to 1984. Although there were two judgeships authorized for the district, the other judge, Dick Yin Wong, died in 1978. King had to try all the cases except for occasional help from visiting mainland judges. Walter Meheula Heen was nominated in January 1981 via a recess appointment, but was not confirmed, so by the end of 1981 King was back to being the only judge. In 1983 King suffered temporary amnesia,[6] and assumed senior status on November 30, 1984.[5]

Notable cases

In 1975, King presided over the case that convicted suspected organized crime leader Wilford Kalaauala "Nappy" Pulawa for tax evasion. After taking senior status, he continued to hear cases, including a murder trial depicted in the book And the Sea Will Tell that took place on remote Palmyra Atoll. The trial moved to California because of pre-trial publicity, and included defense lawyers Vincent Bugliosi and Leonard Weinglass.[7] He was well known as a mentor to many Hawaii lawyers and judges including United States District Judges David A. Ezra, Susan Oki Mollway, and J. Michael Seabright.

Essay

In 1997, King joined with other respected senior civic leaders to publish the essay "Broken Trust" in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin newspaper. Co-authors were Judge Walter Heen, Monsignor Charles Kekumano, educator Gladys Brandt, and William S. Richardson School of Law Professor Randall W. Roth. The investigation prompted by the report resulted in the reorganization of the Kamehameha Schools. He and Roth co-authored a book expanding the essay, published in 2006.[8]

Death

On December 7, 2010, King died at Kuakini Medical Center from head injuries he received in a fall.[3] Adrienne King, married to his son Samuel Pailthorpe King, Jr. (both lawyers), ran for Lieutenant governor in 2010 but lost in the Republican primary.[9]

Works

  • Broken Trust: Greed, Mismanagement, and Political Manipulation at America’s Largest Charitable Trust. University of Hawaii Press. March 2006. ISBN 978-0-8248-3014-4. 336 pages, with Randall W. Roth
  • "Making it all pono a work in progress: Broken Trust: 10 years ago today". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. August 9, 2007. Retrieved December 9, 2010.

References

  1. ↑ Hawaiʻi State Archives (2006). "Marriages: Oahu (1911-1929)". Ulukau, the Hawaiian Electronic Library. Retrieved December 9, 2010.
  2. ↑ "Transcript of Long Story Short with Leslie Wilcox" (PDF). PBS Hawaii. March 4, 2008. Retrieved December 9, 2010.
  3. 1 2 3 Gary T. Kubota; Ken Kobayashi (December 8, 2010). "'Great judge,' 'great man'". Honolulu Star Advertiser. Retrieved December 9, 2010.
  4. ↑ "Grilk, Anne van Patten (Mrs. Samuel P. King)" (PDF). The US Navy Japanese/Oriental Language School Archival Project: The Interpreter (142). University of Colorado at Boulder Libraries. December 1, 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 10, 2010. Retrieved December 9, 2010.
  5. 1 2 3 Samuel Pailthorpe King at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
  6. ↑ Wallace Turner (April 6, 1982). "The Talk of Honolulu; Possible Sale of Waikiki Beach Site Rekindles Resentment against U.S." New York Times. Retrieved December 10, 2010.
  7. ↑ "Isle judge was historic figure". Honolulu Star Advertiser. December 9, 2010. Retrieved December 9, 2010.
  8. ↑ Leila Fujimori (December 8, 2010). "King's influence vital to 'Broken Trust'". Honolulu Star Advertiser. Retrieved December 10, 2010.
  9. ↑ "About Adrienne". Adrienne King Lieutenant Governor web site. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved December 9, 2010.

Sources

Legal offices
Preceded by
Cyrus Nils Tavares		 Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii
1972–1984		 Succeeded by
David Alan Ezra
Preceded by
Martin Pence		 Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii
1974–1984		 Succeeded by
Harold Michael Fong
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