Thomas James King was born in St. John, New Brunswick, Canada, Nov. 8, 1842, the son of Richard and Elizabeth King. His father was a contractor and builder. The family moved from New Brunswick, when he was a boy; his father set up a planing mill in San Francisco.
His school days were finished in San Francisco, and when only fourteen years old he went to work, trying his hand at ranching before entering the mill.
On December 13, 1870 in Vallejo, Calif., he married Josephine Wundenberg and they had two sons and three daughters, Thomas V. and L. C. King, Mrs. C. M. V. Forster and Mrs. Clifford Kimball of Honolulu and Mrs. Charles A. Rice of Kauai.
Mr. King’s training for the organization of his own business began upon his arrival in Honolulu in 1883. He immediately went to work for the Union Feed Co. as manager of the hay and grain departments, remaining there until he and his brother-in-law, J. N. Wright, organized the California Feed Co., which was incorporated in 1895 under the same name, California Feed Co., Ltd.
“Messers TJ King and JN Wright have formed a partnership under the name of the ‘California Feed Co.’” (Evening Bulletin, Sep 23, 1890) in a newspaper notice …
“To Live Stock Owners The California Feed Co has formed for the purpose of selling hay, grain, etc, at a price so low that you will be astonished. …”
“We have had 7 years experience in the business with the Union Feed Co, and we think we know the people’s wants in our line, as well as the prices they ought to pay”
“All we want is the patronage of the consumers, and in a very short time they will find out that we are working in their interest as well as our own.”
“We do not want you to think we are going to do all this for love, such is not the case; but we intend to do a large business, and by strict attention to it, on very close margins make good fair wages.” Signed TJ King and JN Wright (Evening Bulletin, Sept 22, 1890)
Opening his office and warehouse in the old stables of the former monarch, King Kalākaua, in 1890, Mr. King’s business remained there until growth of the city brought about its removal to the old Custom House, at the foot of Nuuanu St., and in 1912 a site at Alakea and Queen streets was purchased and a warehouse erected in the center of a grove of coconut palms.
Architect HL Kerr managed bids for construction of “the big concrete warehouse and office building to be erected at Alakea and Queen streets by the California Feed Co, Ltd.” (Evening Bulletin, June 15, 1912) The California Feed Co warehouse and office on Queen and Alakea streets was built for $15,000. (Star Bulletin, Dec 31, 1912)
At first the store dealt only in hay and grain, but gradually poultry food, wholesale groceries, provisions and canned goods were added, and the company, under the direction of Thomas V. and L. C. King, sons of Thomas J. King, handled all these commodities.
Mr. King was always keenly interested in the organization of new lines of endeavor, and aided many struggling new industries and concerns. Throughout his career as a businessman he was constantly called upon to make investments to assist new companies. Many of these were successful, and at the time of his death Mr. King had extensive business interests.
He was vice-president and director of the Hawaiian Pineapple Co. from its organization until the time of his retirement from business; treasurer of the Oahu Lumber & Building Co., and manager of the People’s Ice Co. He was a Mason, Shriner, Odd Fellow, and an active member of the Honolulu Chamber of Commerce.
Thomas James King died in Honolulu, April 6, 1919. After his death, his son, Lewis Churchill King, succeeded his father and was elected president of California Feed Co (SB, April 22, 1919), a position he held until the California Feed Co was sold to the Honolulu Dairymen’s Association in April, 1925. (Nellist)
King’s son, Thomas Victor King, built a home in 1918 designed by Emory & Webb in Nu‘uanu. Emory & Webb designed several other local landmarks, Hawaii Theatre, the old Honolulu Advertiser building and the Hongwanji Mission Temple on Pali Highway. (The house was in a scene in ‘The Descendants’ movie.) (Lots here from Nellist)
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