William Bruce “Bill” King died on July 22 at the age of 93. King spent his entire 40-year career at Goodwin Procter LLP, where he was a pioneer of REITs, helping to establish the firm’s national prominence in real estate capital markets.
In 1994, King received Nareit’s Industry Achievement Award. Goodwin said that King “left an incredible mark on the firm, our real estate practice, and all who had the privilege of working alongside him.”
Born in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, King graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy, Harvard College, and Harvard Law School, and served as a Navy officer at the end of the Korean conflict.
King’s civic contributions were also significant. He served as president of the Cambridge Civic Association, a trustee of Buckingham Browne & Nichols School, and held long-term leadership roles at Cambridge Savings Bank and Mount Auburn Hospital in Massachusetts. He served on the Cambridge Historical Commission for 44 years, with 31 of those years spent as chair.
King continued to serve in a civic capacity after moving to Needham, Massachusetts, where he was elected to the Needham Town Meeting at age 90.
King is survived by his three children, seven grandchildren, two step-grandchildren, his brother, and many nieces and nephews.