How did king county get its name?

Answer 1

King county Washington was originally named after an old nondescript slave-holding white guy in the mid 1800's. This guys name was William Rufus DeVane King. This county was given it's name by the Oregon Territorial Legislature in 1852. He was indeed a slave owner and his income was primarily from the oppression and exploitation of other human beings.

The county board passed a measure redesignating "King" to honor Dr. Martin Luther King in 1986. Motion 6461 was introduced by Ron Sims and Bruce Lang as Proposed No. 86-66 24 February 1986