Leontyne Butler King

Leontyne Butler King (July 4, 1905 – January 23, 1976) was an American businesswoman and clubwoman, based in Los Angeles, California after 1938.

[1] Leontyne King was the first black member of the five-person Los Angeles Public Library Commission,[2] serving from early 1961 into the mid-1970s.

[15][16] At the 1963 ALA meeting, she "made an eloquent plea" in her address, asking the gathered librarians to provide patrons with "more books dealing with Negro History and Achievement".

[20] "Always chic Leontyne King is a statuesque brunette," noted Jet magazine when they included her in a 1952 feature on "America's Best Dressed Women", adding that she "stresses quiet elegance and simplicity of detail in her wardrobe and depends upon furs and expensive gems to lend greater richness to her ensembles.

[22][23] King also owned a jukebox franchise, with machines in black-owned businesses; her son took over that venture when he was in college.

[28] They had a son, Celestus King III, born 1923, who served in World War II and became a prominent businessman in Los Angeles.