Clinton pardons Preston King, figure in race-bias case

February 21, 2000
Web posted at: 6:22 PM EST (2322 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Clinton on Monday granted full clemency to Preston King, expunging all convictions related to his disputed induction into the armed forces in 1958.

At the time, King accused the military of failing to continue granting deferments as he pursued his education and implied there were racial motives behind the military's change in attitude.

He was convicted and sentenced to 18 months in prison for refusing to report for a physical exam and failure to report for induction. He was convicted in 1961 and fled to England, and was then indicted on charges of failing to serve his sentence and failing to abide by the terms of his release on bond.

Clinton's clemency degree is effective immediately and erases all convictions and indictments. The president issued the order so King could return to the United States later this week to attend the funeral of his brother, Clennon, in Albany, Ga.

King is part of a prominent Georgia family with deep ties to the civil rights movement. Clennon King was one of Martin Luther King Jr.'s lawyers, and the federal building in Albany will soon be renamed in his honor.

Preston King is a professor of political science at the University of Lancaster in Lancaster, England. He has written several books on politics and political philosophy.

Preston King's daughter, Oona King, is the first black member of Parliament.

Among those who asked Clinton to grant clemency was the judge who sentenced Preston King.

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