Stephen B. King

Stephen B. King (born July 4, 1941) is an American businessman and political activist who served as the United States Ambassador to the Czech Republic from 2017 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party, he is the founder of King Capital LLC, an equity investment and real estate company. He previously worked at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as an agent and campaigned unsuccessfully in 1988 for his party's nomination for the U.S. Senate in Wisconsin. During the Nixon administration, while working for the Committee for the Re-Election of the President, King was involved in the kidnapping of Martha Mitchell, the wife of the then-Attorney General. Mitchell contended that she had been held in her room against her will by King, during which time he used physical force to prevent her from speaking to the press and restrained her while she was injected with a sedative. King has not denied his involvement in Mrs. Mitchell's confinement, but disputes parts of her story. In 2017, Sean Bartlett, a spokesman for the Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said King was asked about the incident involving Mitchell as part of his United States Senate confirmation process to be the next United States Ambassador to the Czech Republic. "After questioning him, and measuring his other qualifications and responses to questions on a range of issues, staff did not believe there was evidence or reason to delay his nomination," Bartlett said. King's appointment was approved by the Senate without objection in a voice vote.

In 1976, King became director of development at his alma mater, Western Illinois University. A year later he started his career as a businessman. He moved to Whitewater, Wisconsin, to serve as general manager of the woodworking firm Carlson's Miniatures. In 1979, he became a part owner and manager of Tomah Products, a chemical manufacturer. In 1994, King led a management buy-out of Tomah. Since then, he has served as president and CEO of Tomah Products, Inc. King was elected chairman of the Republican Party of Wisconsin in 1985. In 1988, King resigned to launch a campaign for the U.S. Senate. He lost the Republican nomination to Susan Engeleiter, who was defeated by Democrat Herb Kohl in the general election. This nomination was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on October 5, 2017.

King was the chief executive officer of the host committee for the 2024 Republican National Convention which was held in Milwaukee.

Personal life King and his wife Karen have three children.