King, Roberson J.

Born in Bedford County, Tennessee, in 1846, Roberson J. King farmed in his native state until 1880, when he relocated to California. After farming in Hanford and holding a homestead near Traver, Tulare County, King served six years as assessor for the Alta Irrigation District and worked as a deputy county assessor. He later operated a livestock buying and shipping business in Hanford before moving to Coalinga in 1900 to enter the oil production industry.

Following early prospecting ventures in Jacolitos Canyon and San Luis Obispo County, King co-organized the El Capitan Oil Company in 1901, successfully developing producing wells in Fresno County. In 1905, he was appointed superintendent of the S. W. & B. Oil Co. in Coalinga, managing its operations for thirteen years and expanding its active production wells. Widely active in civic, agricultural, and educational affairs, King leased 640 acres for grain farming near Tulare Lake, served as a school trustee in Fresno and Tulare Counties, and held membership in the Masonic fraternity in Hanford. Married to Mary Bramblett, who passed away in 1896, he raised six children: A. D., E. B., Everett W., Elmore W., Leslie B., and Clementine.