Michael B. King

Mike King is a lawyer by trade, who has represented clients in appellate courts around the United States. His home base is Seattle, Washington, where he is a partner at the firm of Carney Badley Spellman. "Democracy's Missing Arsenal" arose out of Mike's life-long fascination with the idea of turning points in history, especially those moments where ordinary folks can have an extraordinary impact. Lee's Lost Order that changed a possible decisive Confederate victory somewhere in Pennsylvania into a desperate Southern stand along a creek in western Maryland, turning the international tide then flowing in favor of recognition of the CSA by England and France, is a classic of that kind. The what-if possibilities of this moment inspired Mike to join with his college debate partner and best friend John Bredehoft -- also a lawyer by trade -- and craft a global history of the world that could have been if the Lost Order had stayed lost. It was John's wife Ivana who pointed out that their sprawling draft manuscript was really three books in one, and that epiphany led to the series now in process: two down, one more to go! Mike is married to his high school sweetheart, Nancy Neraas (yes, also a lawyer). They have three sons, all now in their 20s, who somehow have not been turned off history by their Dad's insistence that they know not only what happened but what might have happened! In his "spare" time (??) in recent years, Mike has taken up acting, with a special focus on Harry Truman, whom Mike has played on stage in a play he helped develop: "In the Realm of Whispering Ghosts: If Truman Met Einstein," written by K.C. Brown and directed by Seattle theater legend Arne Zaslove. Mike has also portrayed Truman in talks on "Making the Tough Decisions: The Paradox of Leadership in Democracy," presented to dozens of rotary clubs throughout western Washington.