John Alsop King Jr. (July 14, 1817 – November 21, 1900) was an American politician from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Early life

King was born on July 14, 1817, in

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

, Queens County, New York. He was the second son of children born to New York Governor

John Alsop King John Alsop King (January 3, 1788July 7, 1867) was an American politician who was Governor of New York from 1857 to 1858. Life John Alsop King was born in the area now encompassed by New York City on January 3, 1788, to U.S. Senator Rufus King ...

(1788–1867) and Mary (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Ray) King (1790–1873). His brother was

Charles Ray King Charles Ray King (March 16, 1813 – April 5, 1901) was an American physician, farmer and author. He was the second child of John A. King, Governor of New York from 1857 to 1858, and grandson of Constitution signer Rufus King. He authored the bo ...

and his sister, Elizabeth Ray King, was married to U.S. Congressman Henry Bell Van Rensselaer. His grandfather was U.S. Senator and U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom,

Rufus King Rufus King (March 24, 1755April 29, 1827) was an American Founding Father, lawyer, politician, and diplomat. He was a delegate for Massachusetts to the Continental Congress and the Philadelphia Convention and was one of the signers of the Unit ...

, and great-grandfather was

John Alsop John Alsop Jr. (1724 – November 22, 1794) was an American merchant and politician from New York City. As a delegate for New York to the Continental Congress from 1774 to 1776, he signed the 1774 Continental Association. Early life Alsop was ...

(1724–1794), a prominent merchant. His uncles included Charles King, who was President of

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

James Gore King James Gore King (May 8, 1791 – October 3, 1853) was an American businessman and Whig Party politician who represented New Jersey's 5th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives for one term from 1849 to 1851. Earl ...

, a U.S. Congressman, Edward King, the Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives . King attended Union Hall Academy in Jamaica; and graduated from

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

in 1835.

Career

Then he engaged briefly in mercantile pursuits, studied law, was admitted to the bar, and practiced for some time. However, he spent most of his life as a gentleman farmer, looking after the family estate. He was a delegate to the

1872 Republican National Convention The 1872 Republican National Convention was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, June 5–6, 1872. President Ulysses S. Grant was unanimously nominated for reelection by the convention's 752 delegates. Massachusetts Senator Henry Wilson replaced s ...

; a

presidential elector The United States Electoral College is the group of presidential electors required by the Constitution to form every four years for the sole purpose of appointing the president and vice president. Each state and the District of Columbia appo ...

1872 Events January–March * January 12 – Yohannes IV is crowned Emperor of Ethiopia in Axum, the first ruler crowned in that city in over 500 years. * February 2 – The government of the United Kingdom buys a number of forts on ...

, voting for

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

and

Henry Wilson Henry Wilson (born Jeremiah Jones Colbath; February 16, 1812 – November 22, 1875) was an American politician who was the 18th vice president of the United States from 1873 until his death in 1875 and a senator from Massachusetts from 1855 to ...

; and a member of the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan com ...

(1st D.) in

1874 Events January–March * January 1 – New York City annexes The Bronx. * January 2 – Ignacio María González becomes head of state of the Dominican Republic for the first time. * January 3 – Third Carlist War &ndas ...

and

1875 Events January–March * January 1 – The Midland Railway of England abolishes the Second Class passenger category, leaving First Class and Third Class. Other British railway companies follow Midland's lead during the rest of the ...

. In 1876 and 1880, he ran unsuccessfully for the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

. He was President of the New-York Historical Society for eighteen years from 1887 until his death. The Society commissioned a portrait of King in 1892 by Robert Hinckley.

Personal life

On February 21, 1839, he married Mary Colden Rhinelander (1818–1894), the only daughter of Philip Rhinelander and Mary Colden (née Hoffman) Rhinelander. Mary was a granddaughter of New York Attorney General Josiah Ogden Hoffman (1766–1837), and they had five daughters, several who died young including Cornelia Ray, Ellen and Frederica, including: * Mary Rhinelander King (1842–1909), a philanthropist who did not marry. * Alice King (1860–1920), who married

Gherardi Davis Gherardi Davis (October 15, 1858 – March 9, 1941) was an American lawyer, book author and politician from New York. Life He was born on October 15, 1858 in San Francisco, California, the son of George Henry Davis (1824–1897) and Clara Jane ( ...

(1858–1941), son of George Henry Davis, on April 7, 1894. He died of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

at the Savoy Hotel in Manhattan which had been his winter residence for a number of years, and was buried at the Grace Episcopal Churchyard in Jamaica, Queens.

Sources

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:King, John A 1817 births 1900 deaths Republican Party New York (state) state senators Politicians from Queens, New York Harvard College alumni Deaths from pneumonia in New York City 19th-century American legislators