Feature – The Honorable Robert B. King
Robert B. King was appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1998 to serve as a United States Circuit Judge for the Fourth Circuit.
A native of White Sulphur Springs and Greenbrier County, Judge King graduated from WVU in 1961 with a bachelor’s degree. He received his law degree in 1968 from the WVU College of Law where he was a member of the Order of the Coif. As a student at WVU, he was a member of Pi Sigma Alpha, Phi Alpha Delta and Mountain. Judge King was also a three-year letterman on the Golf Team and served as the team’s captain. While in law school, he served on the Law Review, as president of the Student Bar Association and was the recipient of the Patrick Duffy Koontz Scholarship.
Judge King was an enlisted serviceman with the West Virginia National Guard from 1957-59. After graduating from undergraduate school at WVU, he received an ROTC commission and served on active duty in the U.S. Air Force as a special agent with the Office of Special Investigations. He also taught school in Greenbrier County before entering law school in 1965.
Judge King was appointed United States Attorney for southern West Virginia by President Jimmy Carter in 1977 and served in that position until 1981. He practiced law in West Virginia until his appointment to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, headquartered in Richmond, Va., in 1998.
Judge King is a member of the Federal Judges Association, the American Bar Association, the West Virginia State Bar and the Kanawha County and Greenbrier County Bar associations. He is a fellow of the American Bar Foundation and the American College of Trial Lawyers.
Judge King has served on the West Virginia State Bar Board of Governors and the Visiting Committee of the WVU College of Law. In 2003, Judge King was recognized with the Justitia Officium Award—the College of Lawâ’s highest honor.
The gold and blue legacy runs deep in the King family. Judge King and his wife, Julia Kay Doak King (‘67 M.A., English), have four children—three of whom are WVU alumni. Carrie graduated in 1993 and was a member of the women’s tennis team. Bill received a bachelor’s degree in 1997 and is currently attending law school at WVU. Bruce received a bachelor’s degree in 1999 and an MBA in 2004. Their oldest daughter, Emily, graduated from Guilford College in 1992.
Judge King’s two siblings are also WVU graduates. His brother, William E. King, graduated from the College of Law in 1976 and practiced law in Greenbrier County until his death in 1995. Judge King’s sister, Dr. Mary Ellen Mazey, received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from WVU in 1970 and 1972, respectively.
Judge King and his wife live in Charleston and have nine grandchildren.