Sentence:  The seating arrangement of the temple was the Almanach de Gotha of Congregation Emanu-el. Old Ben Reitman, patriarch among the Jewish settlers of Winnebago, who had come over an immigrant youth, and who now owned hundreds of rich farm acres, besides houses, mills and banks, <WSD>kinged</WSD> it from the front seat of the center section. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  To assume or pretend preeminence (over); to lord it over.