John F. King

John King
Insurance Commissioner of Georgia
Incumbent
Assumed office
July 1, 2019
Acting: July 1, 2019 – July 22, 2021
GovernorBrian Kemp
Preceded byJim Beck
Personal details
BornMexico
Political partyRepublican
EducationBrenau University (BA)
United States Army War College (MS)
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Army
Years of service1985–2023
RankMajor General
UnitUnited States National Guard
CommandsContingency Command Post 1
Task Force 51
48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team
1st Battalion, 108th Armor Regiment
Battles/warsWar in Afghanistan
Iraq War
AwardsArmy Distinguished Service Medal
Legion of Merit
Bronze Star Medal (2)

John F. King is a retired American military officer and the state of Georgia's Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner. He was appointed by Governor Brian Kemp as commissioner on July 1, 2019, replacing Jim Beck. Beck was elected in 2018, but suspended by Governor Kemp on May 16, 2019, pending an investigation into allegations of illegal activity committed prior to his taking office.[1] After Beck's conviction of 37 criminal counts of fraud and money laundering on July 22, 2021, Beck was fully and immediately removed from office as per Georgia law, and King became the permanent insurance commissioner.[2] King was re-elected to this position in 2022.[3] King's appointment makes him the first Hispanic statewide official in Georgia's history. A native of Mexico, King is fluent in Spanish.

King has also served as the chief of police for Doraville, Georgia, after becoming an Atlanta police officer in 1985. King received a bachelor's degree in criminal justice and public administration from Brenau University and a master's degree in Strategic Studies from the United States Army War College. He is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia, and a graduate of the Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange program to Israel (GILEE)[4] which was started in preparation for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta as a way to enhance cooperation between Georgia's law enforcement agencies and the police force of the Israel especially in the areas of counter-terrorism and drug interdiction.[5]

King also serves as a major general in the United States National Guard. He was the commander of the 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. King has been deployed to Bosnia-Herzegovina, Iraq, and Afghanistan where he served as a military advisor to the Deputy Minister of Interior for Security for Afghanistan who oversaw an agency of almost 100,000 police officers.[4]

In 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic King, as part of the United States Army National Guard, was called back to duty at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas. He helped build field hospitals in New Orleans and in New Jersey at Edison and Newark.[6] King was asked by Governor Kemp to serve on Georgia's Coronavirus Task Force and lead the Emergency Preparedness Committee, which makes sure that there is proper supply equipment. As Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner, he has asked health insurers not to cancel health policies for non-payment until further notice and for insurers to waive all co-payments for COVID-19 testing.[7]

Awards and decorations

[edit]
  • Army Distinguished Service Medal
  • Legion of Merit
  • Bronze Medal (with 1 Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster)
  • Combat Infantryman Badge
  • Meritorious Service Medal (with 1 Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster)
  • NATO award for his service in both Bosnia and Afghanistan
  • Army Commendation Medal (with 2 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters)
  • Army Achievement Medal (with 1 Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster)
  • Joint Meritorious Unit Award
  • Army Meritorious Unit Commendation
  • Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal (with 1 Silver and 3 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters)
  • National Defense Service Medal (with 1 Bronze Service Star)
  • Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
  • Afghanistan Campaign Medal (with 2 Bronze Service Stars)
  • Iraq Campaign Medal (with 2 Bronze Service Stars)
  • Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
  • Armed Forces Reserve Medal (with Gold Hourglass, M Device and Numeral 4)
  • Army Service Ribbon
  • Overseas Service Ribbon (with Numeral 3)
  • North Atlantic Treaty Organization Medal (with 1 Bronze Star)
  • Georgia Commendation Medal
  • Georgia National Guard Service Medal
  • Georgia Special Operations Ribbon
  • Georgia State Active Duty Ribbon
  • Combat Infantryman Badge
  • Combat Action Badge[8]
  • El Salvador gold medal for achievement (El Salvador)
  • Chief's Blue Star, injury in the line of duty (Atlanta Police Department)[4]

Promotions

[edit]
Second Lieutenant, June 29, 1985
First Lieutenant, June 29, 1988
Captain, November 27, 1990
Major, August 1, 1997
Lieutenant Colonel, September 25, 2002
Colonel, March 20, 2007
Brigadier General, April 1, 2013
Major General, February 1, 2018[8]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Former Insurance employees sue indicted and suspended Insurance Commissioner Jim Beck". 26 November 2019.
  2. ^ "The Jolt: Architect of Georgia election law loses vote for key House GOP leadership post".
  3. ^ "Incumbent Republican King Wins Georgia Insurance Commissioner Election". Insurance Journal. November 9, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c "John F. King, Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner". Archived from the original on 2020-05-29. Retrieved 2020-04-25.
  5. ^ "Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange (GILEE)". Retrieved 2020-04-26.
  6. ^ King, John (2020-04-23). "Erick Erickson Show S9E73" (Interview). Interviewed by Erick Erickson.
  7. ^ "John F. King: Fighting COVID-19 in Georgia". 2020-03-28. Retrieved 2020-04-25.
  8. ^ a b "National Guard: Major General JOHN F. KING". Retrieved 2020-04-25.
Party political offices
Preceded by Republican nominee for Insurance Commissioner of Georgia
2022 		Most recent
Political offices
Preceded by Insurance Commissioner of Georgia
2019–present
Acting: 2019–2021 		Incumbent
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