John F. King

John King
John King
Insurance Commissioner of Georgia
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; July 1, 2019; Acting: July 1, 2019 – July 22, 2021
Governor	Brian Kemp
Preceded by	Jim Beck
Personal details
Born	Mexico
Political party	Republican
Education	Brenau University (BA); United States Army War College (MS)
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1985–2023
Rank	Major General
Unit	United States National Guard
Commands	Contingency Command Post 1; Task Force 51; 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team; 1st Battalion, 108th Armor Regiment
Battles/wars	War in Afghanistan; Iraq War
Awards	Army 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

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

	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]