George Clift King

George Clift King (April 23, 1848 – July 18, 1935) was the second mayor of the town of Calgary, Alberta.

Early life King was born in Chelmsford, England in 1848. At the age of 26, he left England for Canada, arriving in Toronto, Ontario, in 1874.

North-West Mounted Police King joined the North-West Mounted Police and was part of the first contingent sent west to establish Fort Calgary in 1875. Constable King is often called Calgary's First Citizen, since he was the first NWMP officer to cross the Bow River and set foot on the future site of Calgary. This title is also sometimes given to Sam Livingston, another Calgary pioneer who arrived in the Calgary area in 1874; however, Calgary's first European settler was John Glenn who settled at Fish Creek in 1873. According to his scrip record, Antoine Godin, a Métis, had taken up more-or-less permanent residence in the vicinity of Calgary as early as 1870.

Life in Calgary

King left the NWMP in 1877 to manage the first store in Calgary, the I. G. Baker Store. She was also the granddaughter of famed plainsman Hugh "Rising Wolf" Munro and his Piikani wife.

In 1882, King started his own store G. C. King & Co. which sold a wide variety of goods including groceries, clothing, drugs, stationery and tobacco. King's store housed the local post office, and in 1885, King was appointed postmaster, and held this position for 36 years. King also spent four years as town councillor.

After his retirement as postmaster in 1921, he opened a tobacco and confectionery counter in MacLean's Drug Store on Eighth Avenue. King ran this business until his death in 1935. King was inducted into the Order of the British Empire on January 1, 1934, by King George V.

King was laid to rest in Calgary's Union Cemetery. On June 22, 2000, a monument was placed at King's grave and the grave of James Colvin, as they had been unmarked for several years. This was done as part of the 125-year anniversary celebrations of Calgary.