Sophia King

Sophia D. King (born February 14, 1966) is an American politician and former member of Chicago City Council, who served as alderman from the 4th ward, which includes portions of the neighborhoods Bronzeville, Hyde Park, Kenwood, Oakland, and South Loop. King was appointed to the position in 2016 to replace retiring incumbent Will Burns. She won a special election to serve out the rest term of the term in 2017 and was re-elected to a full term in 2019. She is a member and chair of the City Council's Progressive Reform Caucus. King forwent reelection to the city council in 2023 in order to make an unsuccessful run for mayor of Chicago in the 2023 Chicago mayoral election. Early life and education King was born in Colorado and later raised in Evanston, Illinois. She earned a bachelor's from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a master's in education and social policy from Northwestern University. In the late 1980s, King moved to Kenwood in a house she built with her husband Alan. Her husband studied for the bar with Michelle Obama and they are friends of the Obama family. Professional career In 1996, King helped to establish Ariel Community Academy, a K-8 school, with Ariel Investments C.E.O. Mellody Hobson. She was involved in 2007–2008 with Obama's primary campaign and general election campaign. Prior to her appointment to City Council, she was President of Harriet's Daughters, a non-profit organization dedicated to employment and wealth creation opportunities for African-American neighborhoods.