Lawmakers: First elected Hispanic state official sworn in on Day 3

Credit: GPB

The first elected Hispanic statewide official in Georgia was sworn in Thursday morning. 

John King was sworn in as Georgia Insurance and Fire Safety Commissioner at the same ceremony at Georgia State University where Brian Kemp took oath for his second term as governor. Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, Attorney General Chris Carr, Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper, State School Superintendent Richard Woods, and Labor Commissioner Bruce Thompson were also sworn in. 

In 2019, John King made history when he was appointed as Georgia's first Hispanic statewide official. After winning the 2022 election for the same position, he made history again. He became the first Hispanic to be elected to a statewide official spot when he defeated Democrat Janice Laws Robinson. 

King replaced former Commissioner Jim Beck in 2019 after Kemp asked Beck to step down. Beck was indicted on fraud and money laundering charges in 2021. 

King was born in Mexico and is fluent in Spanish. Prior to becoming insurance and fire safety commissioner, King was the Doraville Chief of Police. He hired more bilingual officers and translators, according to the Georgia Office of Insurance and Fire Safety website. 

Georgia's Office of Insurance and Fire Safety, overseen by King, licenses and regulates insurance companies. It also investigates insurance fraud and handles fire safety inspections.