Beverly Sedgwick King


Beverly Sedgwick King, of New York City, was an American architect, a partner with Mrs. Andrew Carnegie's brother, Henry D. Whitfield, in the firm Whitfield & King. He is now known primarily for his work as a philatelist who specialized in the collecting of, and writing philatelic literature on, United States postage stamps.

Collecting interests

King’s stamp collecting interests consisted of 20th Century postage stamps and revenues of the United States. Along with Max G. Johl, he co-authored the landmark “United States Postage Stamps of the Twentieth Century”.

Philatelic activity

King was active at the Collectors Club of New York, serving as president in 1933. At the American Philatelic Society, he served as an editor for the society. He was also the longtime editor of the "Revenues" section of The American Philatelist, contributed a regular column on U.S. stamps for Stamps Magazine, and wrote articles for many other journals as well.

Honors and awards

King was elected to the American Philatelic Society Hall of Fame in its first group of fifteen philatelists in 1941.

Career as an architect

Whitfield & King benefited greatly from Harry Whitfield's connection to his brother-in-law, Andrew Carnegie. The firm designed a number of Carnegie Libraries around the United States, including those in Cleveland, Ohio, Honolulu, Hawaii, and South Worcester, Massachusetts, as well as the Eaton Memorial Library at Tufts University. In New York City, in addition to a garage for Carnegie at 55 East 90th Street, they also designed the Engineering Societies' Building and Engineers' Club on West 40th Street.

Later life

In 1933 President Franklin Delano Roosevelt appointed him Deputy Administrator of the National Recovery Administration, and he moved to Washington, D.C.. He was killed two years later in that city when hit by a speeding vehicle near his house.