Joseph King (1839-1923)

Born in Bristol King later moved to Reading where he joined the same Congregational church as W.G. Lawes [qv]. He was later to be Lawes' biographer. He trained in Bedford and served with the London Missionary Society, and moved to the South Pacific in 1863 serving in the Samoan mission. He served on Upolo until 1865 and then on Savai'i until 1872 except for the period 1869-70 when he was in charge of a training institute for Samoan pastors at Malua.  He leftfor England in 1872 and in 1874 left missionary work because of the ill-health of his wife. He moved to Australia in 1874 and was the pastor at the Congregational church at Sandhurst (Bendigo) and later moved to a similar church in South Melbourne. From 1883 he gradually assumed much of the work of the L.M.S. in Australia, particularly in Melbourne as the president of its Victorian auxiliary, and revisited Samoa on deputation in 1887. In 1889 he was appointed agent of the London Missionary Society for Australasia, resigning in 1911.

Australian Dictionary of Biography entry for King

Joseph King. 1895 Ten decades ; the Australian centenary story of the London Missionary Society London: LMS

Joseph King. 1899 Christianity in Polynesia: A Defence Sydney

Joseph King, 1909 W. G. Lawes of Savage Island and New Guinea London

His letter books 1866-1912 are held by State Library of Victoria 

AP April 2013.