William Bruce “Bill” King, of Cambridge, Needham, and Phillipston, MA, passed away on July 22, 2025, at age 93, after a brief illness. Beloved and respected by all who knew him, Bill charmed family, friends, and colleagues with bonhomie, long stories, good humor, curiosity, and keen intelligence. He was dedicated to his family, to the law firm where he spent his entire professional career, and to civic engagement in every community he joined.
Bill was appointed to the Cambridge Historical Commission in 1973 and served as chair from 1986 until he retired in 2017. By a conservative calculation, Bill attended almost 500 commission meetings and chaired about 350 of them. He was notable for his judicious temperament, calm demeanor, and willingness to be amused at the occasional absurdities of public life. He displayed a conspicuous tolerance of public discourse, with the result that applicants and members of the public generally went away feeling respected even if their views did not carry the day. Among many other accomplishments, Bill contributed to several legislative initiatives that expanded the role of historic preservation in Cambridge and, by example, throughout the Commonwealth.
We thank Bill for his decades of public service and friendship.
To read the full obituary and view details of A Celebration of Bill’s Life, click here: https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/bostonglobe/name/william-king-obituary?id=58993795.
It’s really nice for you to mention Bill King’s death here. He was a lovely man, to be sure.
Luise Erdmann
Bill will be surely missed and venerated. Thank you Bill for all you have done to make our city better for all.