John Alsop King (1788 - 1867)

Born 3 Jan 1788 in New York City, New York, United States

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 7 Jul 1867 at age 79 in Queens, New York, United States

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Preceded by 19th Governor Myron H. Clark

John A. King 20th Governor of New York 1857—1858

Succeeded by 21st Governor Edwin D. Morgan

Biography

John King is Notable.

Governor John Alsop King 20th governor of New York,

Born: Jan 03, 1788

Passed: Jul 07, 1867

Birth State: New York

Party: Republican

Family: Married Mary Ray; seven children

National Office(s) Served: Representative

Military Service: Army

Governor John Alsop King was born on 3 January 1788 in New York City. He was the son of US Senator Rufus King and Mary Alsop.^[1] He had four brothers, among them Congressman James G. King (1791–1853), and Charles King who was President of Columbia University.

He married Mary Ray, daughter of Cornelius Ray and Elizabeth Elmendorf, on 3 January 1810.1 He died on 7 July 1867 in Jamaica, Queens County, New York, at age 79. He was buried in Grace Episcopal Churchyard, Jamaica, Queens County, New York.^[1] Governor John Alsop King was educated at Harrow, England, and in Paris; studied law in New York city, and was admitted to the bar.

1812: He served in the U.S. army during the war of 1812, and was promoted lieutenant of cavalry. At the close of the war he engaged in farming near his father's home in Jamaica, N.Y., and in

1819: was elected to the New York assembly, where he served several terms, and was subsequently elected to the state senate. In the state legislature he opposed the political methods of De Witt Clinton.

1826: He resigned from the senate in 1825 to go to London with his father, who had been appointed U.S. minister at the court of St. James. The failure of his father's health obliged him to return to the United States in a few months, and the son remained as chargé d'affaires until the arrival of Albert Gallatin, the newly-appointed minister, in 1826.

1833: He was again elected to the New York assembly in 1838, and

1849-51: Was as a representative in the 31st congress, 1849-51. He opposed the fugitive slave law and advocated the admission of California as a free state.

1855: He presided at the Whig state convention held at Syracuse, N.Y., 1855, when the Republican party was formed, and in

1856: was a delegate to the Republican national convention at Philadelphia, where he supported the nomination of John C. Frémont for President.

He was one of the founders of the Queens County Agricultural Society and served several years as its president; also one of the founders of the New York State Agricultural Society and served as its president.

1857-1858: He was governor of New York, 1857-58, declined renomination,

1861: Member of the National peace conference at Washington, D.C., in February, 1861, and then retired to private life.

He was a lay delegate to the annual conventions of the Protestant Episcopal church in the diocese of Long Island. He was president of the New York Historical society and a member of the American Historical Association.^[2]<He was admitted a corresponding member of the NEHGS, on 13 July 1859.

Marriage

He married Mary Ray, daughter of Cornelius Ray and Elizabeth Elmendorf, on 3 January 1810.^[1]

Children of Governor John Alsop King and Mary Ray

1. Mary King b. 29 Oct 1810
2. Charles Ray King b. 16 Mar 1813, d. 5 Apr 1901
3. Elizabeth Ray King b. 17 Aug 1815, d. 14 Mar 1900
4. John Alsop King b. 14 Jun 1817, d. 21 Nov 1900
5. Caroline King b. 1 Jun 1820, d. 29 Oct 1900
6. Richard King b. 18 Jul 1822, d. 21 Nov 1891
7. Cornelia King b. 31 Mar 1824, d. 27 Nov 1897
8. Ellen King b. c 1826

Photographed Primary Sources

Secondary Re-Sources

^[1][2]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3} Rossiter Johnson, editor, Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans (Boston, MA: The Biographical Society, 1904), Vol. VI.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} US Government, Congressmen Bios, 1413.

See also:

• Sobel, Robert, and John Raimo, eds. Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978, Vol. 3, Westport, Conn.; Meckler Books, 1978. 4 vols.

• John Alsop King article on Wikipedia

• "Find a Grave", database and images (accessed 16 Feb 2022), memorial page for John Alsop King (3 Jan 1788–7 Jul 1867), Find A Grave: Memorial #4609, citing Grace Episcopal Churchyard, Jamaica, Queens County, New York, USA.

Acknowledgments

• Thank you to Kitty Smith for contributions to this profile.