Edward Postell King Jr. was a Major General in the United States Army who gained prominence for leading the defense of the Bataan Peninsula in the Battle of Bataan against the Japanese invasion of the Philippines in World War II.

King applied for and received a commission in the Army in 1908. He served with distinction during World War I, earning the Distinguished Service Medal. On July 9, 1918, the President authorized awarding the Army DSM to Major King, for exceptionally meritorious and distinguished services in a duty of great responsibility during World War I. As principal assistant to the chief of field artillery, from March 23, 1918 to November, 11 1918, Major King contributed largely to the successful solution of the difficult problems of expansion, organization, and training which then confronted the Field Artillery.

Between World War I and World War II, King held several important assignments including that of instructor in both the Army and Navy War Colleges. In 1940 he was sent to the Philippines where he was promptly promoted to Brigadier General; he served as General Douglas MacArthur’s second highest ranking ground officer, after General Jonathan Wainwright.