Sophia King
Sophia King | |
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Member of the Chicago City Council from the 4th ward | |
Assumed office April 13, 2016 | |
Preceded by | William D. Burns |
Personal details | |
Born | Colorado, U.S. | November 8, 1965
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Alan King |
Education | University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (BA) Northwestern University (MEd) |
Sophia D. King (born February 14, 1966)[1] is an American politician and member of Chicago City Council, currently serving as alderman from the 4th ward, which includes portions of the neighborhoods Bronzeville, Hyde Park, Kenwood, Oakland, and South Loop. King was appointed to the position in 2016 to replace retiring incumbent Will Burns. She won a special election to serve out the rest term of the term in 2017 and was re-elected to a full term in 2019. She is a member and chair of the City Council's Progressive Reform Caucus.[2] In August, King announced she would be running in the 2023 Chicago mayoral election.[3]
Early life and education
King was born in Colorado and later raised in Evanston, Illinois.[4] She earned a bachelor's from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a master's in education and social policy from Northwestern University.[5] In the late 1980s, King moved to Kenwood in a house she built with her husband Alan.[1][6] Her husband studied for the bar with Michelle Obama and they are friends of the Obama family.[1]
Professional career
In 1996, King helped to establish Ariel Community Academy, a K-8 school, with Ariel Investments C.E.O. Mellody Hobson.[1] She was involved in 2007–2008 with Obama's primary campaign and general election campaign.[1]
Prior to her appointment to City Council, she was President of Harriet's Daughters, a non-profit organization dedicated to employment and wealth creation opportunities for African-American neighborhoods.[4]
In April 2016, King was appointed by Mayor Rahm Emanuel to replace outgoing 4th ward alderman Will Burns, who had resigned to become Vice President of Governmental Affairs with AirBnB.[5]
Chicago City Council
King was sworn in to the City Council on April 13, 2016.
In anticipation of running for the seat in the 2017 special election, King created a political action committee on March 9, 2016.[7] King was appointed from a field of three finalists and eighteen initial applicants.[5]
She is a member of the following committees; Committees, Rules and Ethics, Health and Environmental Protection, Housing and Real Estate, Pedestrian and Traffic Safety, Transportation and Public Way and Workforce Development and Audit.[8]
In the 2019 Chicago mayoral election, King endorsed Toni Preckwinkle, declaring her support for her in advance of the first round of the election upon Preckwinkle's entrance into the mayoral race.[9]
External links
References
- ^ a b c d e Dardick, Hal (2015-04-08). "Emanuel's 4th Ward alderman pick is friends with Obamas". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2016-03-20.
- ^ Kapos, Shia; Carrasco, Maria (2020-06-12). "PASS THE POPCORN! — PROGRESSIVES PICK ALD. KING — ANALYZING PRITZKER'S HIRES". POLITICO. Retrieved 2020-06-12.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Alderman Sophia King announces run for Chicago mayor". ABC 7. 2022-08-10. Retrieved 2022-08-10.
- ^ a b Spielman, Fran (2016-04-12). "Sophia King, new 4th Ward alderman, is not nobody nobody sent". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2016-04-24.
- ^ a b c Ahern, Mary Ann (2016-04-11). "Emanuel Names Sophia King as New 4th Ward Alderman After Burns' Surprise Resignation". WMAQ-TV. Retrieved 2016-04-24.
- ^ Bushey, Claire (2012-06-30). "King of beats: Attorney juggles cases by day, DJs at night". Crain's Chicago Business. Retrieved 2016-04-24.
- ^ Cholke, Sam (2016-04-12). "Sophia King Named 4th Ward Alderman". DNAinfo.com. Archived from the original on 2016-05-31. Retrieved 2016-04-24.
- ^ "Legistar Profile – Sophia King". City Clerk of Chicago. 2016-04-13. Retrieved 2016-04-24.
- ^ "Preckwinkle announces mayoral run, pledges a Chicago 'that works for all of us'". Hyde Park Herald. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
- 1966 births
- 21st-century American politicians
- 21st-century American women politicians
- African-American women in politics
- African-American city council members in Illinois
- Chicago City Council members
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign alumni
- Northwestern University School of Education and Social Policy alumni
- Illinois Democrats
- Living people
- People from Evanston, Illinois
- Women city councillors in Illinois
- Chicago City Council members appointed by Rahm Emanuel