John A. King

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22nd Governor of New York (1788–1867)

title: "John A. King" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1788-births", "1867-deaths", "people-educated-at-harrow-school", "republican-party-governors-of-new-york-(state)", "republican-party-new-york-(state)-state-senators", "republican-party-members-of-the-new-york-state-assembly", "gracie–king-family", "whig-party-united-states-representatives-from-new-york-(state)", "presidents-of-the-saint-nicholas-society-of-the-city-of-new-york", "1860-united-states-presidential-electors", "alsop-family", "winthrop-family", "19th-century-united-states-representatives"] description: "22nd Governor of New York (1788–1867)" topic_path: "people/1780s" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_A._King" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary 22nd Governor of New York (1788–1867) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox officeholder"]

Field	Value
image	John Alsop King (cropped).jpg
order1	20th
office1	Governor of New York
term_start1	January 1, 1857
term_end1	December 31, 1858
lieutenant1	Henry R. Selden
predecessor1	Myron H. Clark
successor1	Edwin D. Morgan
state2	New York
district2
term_start2	March 4, 1849
term_end2	March 3, 1851
preceded2	Frederick W. Lord
succeeded2	John G. Floyd
birth_name	John Alsop King
birth_date
birth_place	Queens County, New York, U.S.
death_date
death_place	Queens County, New York, U.S.
restingplace	Grace Episcopal Churchyard
party	Republican
Whig
spouse	Mary Ray
parents	Rufus King
Mary Alsop
children	8, including Charles and John
relatives	James G. King (brother)
Charles King (brother)
Edward King (brother)
John Alsop (grandfather)
Henry Bell Van Rensselaer (son-in-law)
::

Life

King was born in the area now encompassed by New York City on January 3, 1788, to U.S. senator Rufus King (1755–1827) and Mary (née Alsop) King. His maternal grandparents were John Alsop (1724–1794), a prominent merchant and Mary Frogat (1744–1772). John A. King was part of the King family of Massachusetts and New York through his mother.

He had four younger brothers, including Charles King (1789–1867), who was President of Columbia University, and Congressman James G. King (1791–1853), Edward King (1795–1836) and Frederic Gore King (1802–1829).

When his father was appointed the U.S. ambassador to Great Britain, the family moved to Britain, and King was educated at Harrow School. Upon graduating from Harrow, King returned to New York City to study law. He was admitted to the bar and practiced in New York City.

Career

John King's law career was interrupted by a stint in the military; he served as a cavalry lieutenant in the War of 1812. After the war, however, he returned to his law practice and then ventured into politics. King was a member of the New York State Assembly (Queens Co.) in 1819, 1820 and 1820–21; of the New York State Senate (First D.) in 1823; and again of the State Assembly in 1832, 1838 and 1840.

He was president of the New York State Agricultural Society in 1849.

United States Congress

King was elected as a Whig to the 31st United States Congress, holding office from March 4, 1849, to March 3, 1851.

Governor of New York

His term as Governor of New York from 1857 to 1858 was noted for improvements to the State's education system and the enlargement of the Erie Canal. Following a series of attacks (the so-called Quarantine War of 1858) on the quarantine facility on Staten Island, King dispatched several units of the New York State Militia to briefly occupy the island. In 1859, King was elected as an honorary member of the New York Society of the Cincinnati.

Presidential Elector

In the 1860 presidential election, when the Republicans won New York, King was elected a presidential elector and voted for Abraham Lincoln and Hannibal Hamlin.

Personal life

He was married to Mary Ray (1790–1873), daughter of Cornelius and Elizabeth Elmendorf Ray. Together, John and Mary had:

Mary King (1810–1894), who married Phineas Miller Nightingale (1803–1873)
Charles Ray King (1813–1901), who married Hannah Wharton Fisher (1816–1870) in 1839. After her death, he married her sister, Nancy Wharton Fisher (1826–1905) in 1872.
Elizabeth Ray King (1815–1900), who married Henry Bell Van Rensselaer (1810–1864), a United States Congressman and member of the Van Rensselaer family.
John Alsop King Jr. (1817–1900), a state senator who married Mary Colden Rhinelander (1818–1894), granddaughter of Josiah Ogden Hoffman (1766–1837)
Caroline King (1820–1900), who married her first cousin, James Gore King Jr. (1819–1867), son of James G. King
Richard King (1822–1891), who married Elizabeth Lewis (1822–1891), daughter of Mordecai Lewis in 1839
Cornelia King (1824–1897)
Ellen King (1825–1827)

King died on July 7, 1867, in Queens County, New York, and was buried at the Grace Church Cemetery in Jamaica, Queens.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fc/Governor_John_Alsop_King_Gravesite.jpg" caption="The gravesite of Governor John Alsop King"] ::

References

Notes

Sources

References

(2011). "The Men Who Made the Nation: Architects of the Young Republic 1782–1802". Knopf Doubleday Publishing.
(2012). "Women of the Constitution: Wives of the Signers". Rrowman & Littlefield.
(1905). "The Saint Nicholas Society of the City of New York: History, Customs, Record of Events, Constitution, Certain Genealogies, and Other Matters of Interest. V. 1-". The Saint Nicholas Society.
(2013). "Women of the Constitution: Wives of the Signers". [[Rowman & Littlefield]].
"The Founding Fathers: Massachusetts". Archives.gov.
"NYS Agricultural Society".
"KING, John Alsop – Biographical Information". [[Biographical Directory of the United States Congress]].
(1861). "Proceedings of the New York Electoral College, Held at the Capitol in the City of Albany, December 4, 1860". Weed, Parsons & Company.
Reynolds, Cuyler. (1914). "Genealogical and Family History of Southern New York, Volume 3". Lewis Publishing Company.
(1887). "History of Bucks County, Pennsylvania: Including an Account of Its Original Exploration, Its Relation to the Settlements of New Jersey and Delaware, Its Erection Into a Separate County, Also Its Subsequent Growth and Development, with Sketches of Its Historic and Interesting Localities, and Biographies of Many of Its Representative Citizens". A. Warner.
(23 March 2014). "A Day in the Life of the Civil War: From An Old Albany Family". A Day in the Life of the Civil War.

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