John Pendleton King (April 3, 1799March 19, 1888) was an attorney, planter and politician, serving as

United States Senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...

from Georgia. He resigned in 1837 before the end of his term to devote himself to his plantation and business, serving for nearly 40 years as president of the

Georgia Railroad and Banking Company The Georgia Railroad and Banking Company also seen as "GARR", was a historic railroad and banking company that operated in the U.S. state of Georgia. In 1967 it reported 833 million revenue-ton-miles of freight and 3 million passenger-miles; at ...

and becoming a cotton manufacturer. He acquired large plantation holdings and by 1860 owned 69 slaves to work the cotton fields and related trades.

Early life and education

Born in Glasgow, Kentucky, King moved in infancy with his parents to

Bedford County, Tennessee Bedford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 50,237. Its county seat is Shelbyville. Bedford County comprises the Shelbyville, TN Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also inc ...

, and then to

Augusta, Georgia Augusta ( ), officially Augusta–Richmond County, is a consolidated city-county on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The city lies across the Savannah River from South Carolina at the head of its navig ...

, in 1815. He graduated from the

Academy of Richmond County The Academy of Richmond County is a high school located in Augusta, Georgia, United States. Known previously as Richmond County Military Academy, it is commonly known as Richmond Academy or ARC. Chartered in 1783, it is listed as the sixth old ...

in Augusta, and studied law. He was admitted to the bar in 1819 and practiced in Augusta.

Marriage and family

After beginning his practice, King married Mary Louise Woodward, daughter of John Woodward and wife Harriet Bixby. They had at least two daughters and a son together. Grace Sterling King married John McPherson Berrien Connelly and they had children. Mary Livingstone King married Henry Paget, 4th Marquess of Anglesey (1835–1898).

Studies and politics

King studied in Europe from 1822 to 1824. He returned and continued the practice of law in Augusta until 1829. He was a member of the State constitutional conventions in 1830 and 1833. He was appointed

judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

of the Court of Common Pleas in 1831. He was elected in 1833 as a Jacksonian (later

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

) to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of

George M. Troup George McIntosh Troup (September 8, 1780 – April 26, 1856) was an Politics of the United States, American politician from the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. He served in the Georgia General Assembly, U.S. House of Representative ...

. He was reelected in 1834 and served from November 21, 1833, until November 1, 1837, when he resigned. In that year, the United States was in the midst of a

financial panic A financial crisis is any of a broad variety of situations in which some financial assets suddenly lose a large part of their nominal value. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, many financial crises were associated with banking panics, and man ...

, which King blamed entirely on the policies of

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...

, which included removal of federal deposits from the Bank of the United States and the

Specie Circular The Specie Circular is a United States presidential executive order issued by President Andrew Jackson in 1836 pursuant to the Coinage Act. It required payment for government land to be in gold and silver. History The Specie Circular was a reac ...

requiring purchases of federal land to be made in gold or silver currency, rather than bank notes or other instruments.

Business and plantation

After his time in politics, King became president of the

, serving from 1841 to 1878. He worked as a railroad promoter and

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor perce ...

manufacturer. In 1865 he was a member of the State constitutional convention in 1865. During this period he also continued as a planter and expanded his landholdings considerably, amassing a large estate. From 1830, he more than tripled the number of slaves he owned, in order to work those properties. In 1830, he owned 22 slaves in Augusta, Georgia. In 1840, he owned 55 slaves. In 1850, he owned 57 slaves. In 1860, he owned 68 slaves. King died in Summerville, Georgia and was interred in St. Paul's Churchyard, Augusta.

Honors and legacy

King is the namesake of the city of Kingston, Georgia. Pendleton King Park in Augusta, Georgia is named for his grandson, John Pendleton King II, who died at age 29 of a brain aneurysm. Kings Mill was also named after him.

References

* Dictionary of American Biography * Mellichamp, Josephine. "John King." In Senators From Georgia. pp. 107–10. Huntsville, Ala.: Strode Publishers, 1976. {{DEFAULTSORT:King, John Pendleton 1799 births 1888 deaths People from Glasgow, Kentucky Jacksonian United States senators from Georgia (U.S. state) Democratic Party United States senators from Georgia (U.S. state) Georgia (U.S. state) Democrats Georgia (U.S. state) state court judges People from Augusta, Georgia People from Bedford County, Tennessee People from Summerville, Georgia Politicians from Augusta, Georgia American slave owners Georgia (U.S. state) lawyers Academy of Richmond County alumni United States senators who owned slaves