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Title: Arthur S. King Papers, 1931-1972

ID: MSS King

Primary Creator: King, Arthur Solomon (1906-1972)

Extent: 0.25 cubic feet. More info below.

Languages of Materials: English [eng]

The Arthur S. King Papers consist of materials created and assembled by King in his role as Soils Extension Specialist at Oregon State University. The materials address irrigation, soils and soil testing, water use and conservation, and fertilizer application. King earned his BS (1928) and MS (1930) degrees from Oregon State Agricultural College. In 1930, he was appointed as the first full time Soils Extension Specialist at Oregon State, a position he held until his retirement in 1972.

The Arthur S. King Papers consist of materials created and assembled by King in his role as Soils Extension Specialist at Oregon State University. The collection includes manuscripts, speeches, clippings, and correspondence pertaining to irrigation, soils and soil testing, water use and conservation, and fertilizer application. The manuscripts are primarily for news columns and were prepared in the late 1950s through 1960s. One of these manuscripts was written by Glenn Hogg of R.W. Hogg & Sons in Salem, Oregon. The manuscripts include an obituary for Charles V. Ruzek and an article about W.L. Powers. The speeches were given during the 1950s-1960 and address flood damaged soils, soil conservation, and irrigation. The bulk of the collection consists of clippings from newspapers, periodicals, and other publications -- some of which were written by King. These are arranged chronologically and span from 1931 to 1972.

Arthur S. King served as Soils Extension Specialist at Oregon State University from 1930 until his retirement in 1972. King graduated from Oregon State Agricultural College in 1928 with a BS degree in agriculture. He completed a MS degree in soils at Oregon State in 1930. In September of 1928 King was appointed to a Teaching Fellowship in the Department of Soils. He took a leave from that position from June to December 1929 to serve as District Agricultural Extension Agent for Baker, Union and Wallowa Counties. King returned to campus in January 1930 and assumed his Fellowship until June 1930. King was the first person to be appointed as a full time Soils Extension Specialist for Oregon in 1930. King took a leave of absence from July of 1952 to July of 1954 and worked for the National Security Agency in Washington, D.C. King was long associated with the Oregon Water Resource Congress, serving as secretary from 1943 to 1949. He was known nationally for his work to improve soil and water resources through irrigation and land drainage as well as the development of guidelines for the application of fertilizers and lime.  Arthur Solomon King was born September 13, 1906, and was raised on a farm north of Corvallis. He died in October 1972.

Author: Elizabeth Nielsen

More Extent Information: 1 box

Statement on Access: Collection is open for research.

Acquisition Note: These materials were transferred to the University Archives by the Soil Science Department in 1992.

Related Materials: The Arthur Solomon King Photographs (P 131) consists of images assembled by King. The Extension Service Records (RG 111) and Soil Science Department Records (RG 115) include extensive materials pertaining to soils testing and research.

Preferred Citation: Arthur S. King Papers (MSS King), Oregon State University Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.

King, Arthur Solomon (1906-1972)

Agricultural extension work--Oregon.
Agricultural extension workers--Oregon.
Fertilizers--Oregon.
Irrigation--Oregon.
King, Arthur Solomon, 1906-1972
Natural Resources
Soils--Oregon--Testing.
University History
Water use--Oregon.