Gary King

Gary King is currently the New Mexico Attorney General and perhaps the only current AG in the nation who is also a scientist with a Ph.D. in organic chemistry. Dr. King maintained a private practice as an attorney and served as a state Legislator before being elected Attorney General in 2006. Since 1987, he has been married to Yolanda Jones King, also a scientist and community leader. Gary grew up with his ranching family in Stanley, New Mexico. Dr. King attended New Mexico State University and obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry. He received his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Colorado University at Boulder. He then attended law school at the University of New Mexico, where he received his J.D. In 1984, Gary formed the law firm of King and Stanley in Moriarty, where he carried out the general practice of law. In 1990, he assumed the position of Corporate General Counsel and Senior Environmental Scientist with Advanced Sciences, Inc., an environmental consulting firm. Gary served for 12 years in the New Mexico State Legislature. During 10 years as the Chairman of the Consumer and Public Affairs Committee, Gary used his leadership position to work vigorously on health care, environmental and civil rights issues. In 1998, Gary became the Policy Advisor to the Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in Washington, D.C. Within a year, he became the Department’s Director of the Office of Worker and Community Transition. While at the DOE, he developed and implemented a program fostering cooperation between federal, state, local and Native American governments to enhance cleanup activities. As Attorney General, Gary spearheaded the effort to get legislation passed that, for the first time, made it a felony crime to engage in the practice of human trafficking. AG King was invited to Geneva, Switzerland by a United Nations committee to present this legislation as a model for other nations around the world that are seeking to end the practice of human slavery. Attorney General King has been a long-time active participant in his local community and has given his time and expertise to many statewide positions. He has served as President of his Rotary Club and Chair of the Manzano District of the Boy Scouts of America. Gary has served as the Chair of the Legal Services Committee of the New Mexico State Bar Association; as a Domestic Violence Special Commissioner and served as guardian ad litem for abused and neglected children in the Seventh Judicial District. He was also the Chairman of the New Mexico Mining Commission and served on the Environmental Advisory Board to the Federal Aviation Administration. Additionally, Dr. King was of counsel with Law and Resource Planning Associates, one of New Mexico’s most respected water and natural resource law firms.