Mel King Obituary

Mel King was an American politician, community organiser and educator. In 1973, King was elected as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives 9th Suffolk district, a post he held until early 1983.

He was the runner-up in the 1983 Boston mayoral election, against Raymond Flynn.

King, a lifelong resident of the South End neighbourhood of Boston, was active in creating community programs and institutions for low-income people in the city and was the founder of the South End Technology Centre.

At the time of his death, he held the position of Senior Lecturer Emeritus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in their Department of Urban Studies and Planning.

During the 2000 presidential election, King endorsed the presidential campaign of Ralph Nader. He endorsed Boston City Council at large member Sam Yoon for mayor on August 10, 2009. King gave a last-minute endorsement to acting mayor Kim Janey before the primary of the 2021 Boston mayoral election.