Does anyone know why King County was re-named after Martin Luther King Jr? (Seattle: apartment, live)

[Old Northwest Citizen]

King County is known in our times, not as a place whose glory lies in a fading past, but as a harbinger of how America is living into a bright future. Along with many other advances, King County has tried to erase the smudges left on our history by segregation and the internment of Americans of Japanese descent. A county known for progressive visions could hardly keep as its own the name of William Rufus de Vane King, who claimed ownership of >500 slaves. True, he was technically Vice-president in 1852, when the county was established by the territorial legislature--but he never acted in that role, was ill in Cuba when elected, took the oath of office on March 24 there, and died at his Alabama plantation on April 18, 1853, two days after returning home. Martin Luther King, Jr, is better suited to what King County WA aspires to be. Joseph

[thatguy950]

Old post but the answer is the same: virtue signaling

[MJ5150]

I find it odd when a city names a street after a notable person who has no real ties to the city.

-Mike

[mhays25]

The original guy had never been here. MLK was here, and played a role in our local history. So what do you prefer:

1. Slave owner who was never here, because why not.

2. National hero who was here, and has meaning to a lot of people.

3. Renaming the county to something other than "King" at enormous expense and hassle.

I'm guessing that some people haven't thought this through.

[homesinseattle]

Originally Posted by thatguy950

Old post but the answer is the same: virtue signaling

I'll take that kind of virtue anyday, acknowledging a wonderful man who helped bring justice/changes to an entire segment of our society. Interesting article that mentions the original man the county was named for (who had never been here) and the shift to use MLK's name: https://www.seattlemet.com/articles/...lways-that-way

As we took their land, it almost seems more appropriate that we would have named the county a Native American name. You probably would have been more supportive of that, thatguy. .

[thatguy950]

Originally Posted by homesinseattle

I'll take that kind of virtue anyday, acknowledging a wonderful man who helped bring justice/changes to an entire segment of our society. Interesting article that mentions the original man the county was named for (who had never been here) and the shift to use MLK's name: https://www.seattlemet.com/articles/...lways-that-way

As we took their land, it almost seems more appropriate that we would have named the county a Native American name. You probably would have been more supportive of that, thatguy. .

So what about the native tribes that took land from one another before “we”’showed up? How far back should we take it?

[homesinseattle]

Originally Posted by thatguy950

So what about the native tribes that took land from one another before “we”’showed up? How far back should we take it?

I was being a bit tongue in cheek, thatguy. MLk Jr was a good guy, don't you think?

[thatguy950]

Originally Posted by homesinseattle

I was being a bit tongue in cheek, thatguy. MLk Jr was a good guy, don't you think?

Yeah, but I guess I was just saying these kinds of things are a bit silly in the grand scheme of things, if taxpayers don’t have to fund it sure, but when your tax dollars go towards these things it seems a bit wasteful

[travis t]

Originally Posted by NCDavid

...Not pertinent to this discussion but of historical interest, WR King was likely gay and was widely rumored during his lifetime to have had a relationship with James Buchanan, the only bachelor president in US. history.

President Andrew Jackson called Buchanan and King "Miss Nancy and Miss Fancy."

It is pertinent. I do believe there may have been some homophobia at play in the name change. How could they have not have known that King was the only gay VP in US history?

One of the prominent leaders pushing for the name change was a minister at a large black church in Seattle. Granted, I'm painting with a broad-brush here, but in my experience ministers in African-American churches tend to be very intolerant of homosexuality. Take just one example--Rev. Al Sharpton's denigration of "Greek homos" in a diatribe on history.

Incidentally, IIRC the name change cost about $400,000 to change signage, logos painted on county vehicles, etc.

[rjshae]

Well after reading up about William Rufus King, I can see why they would be willing to change. He doesn't line up very well with modern cultural values for the region.