John Charles King (10 July 1817 – 26 January 1870) was a politician in colonial

Victoria (Australia) Victoria is a state in southeastern Australia. It is the second-smallest state with a land area of , the second most populated state (after New South Wales) with a population of over 6.5 million, and the most densely populated state in ...

, commissioner Public Works October 1859 to November 1859. King was born in Dromara,

County Down County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 531,665. It borders County Antrim to the ...

, Ireland, the son of Henry King (died 1840), farmer, and his wife Martha Jane, ''née'' Henry. King was educated at the

Royal Belfast Academical Institution The Royal Belfast Academical Institution is an independent grammar school in Belfast, Northern Ireland. With the support of Belfast's leading reformers and democrats, it opened its doors in 1814. Until 1849, when it was superseded by what today is ...

and he sailed for Australia in 1838. In

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

he was impressed with reports of the

Port Phillip District The Port Phillip District was an administrative division of the Colony of New South Wales from 9 September 1836 until 1 July 1851, when it was separated from New South Wales and became the Colony of Victoria. In September 1836, NSW Colonial Sec ...

and returned to Ireland, married Elizabeth Johnston, of Annandale, Scotland, and again sailed for Australia with his parents and family. King arrived aboard the ''Salsette'' in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

in January 1841 where he became an auctioneer and commission agent in Elizabeth Street. Later he briefly served as government auctioneer. King was Town Clerk of

from the establishment of the municipality in 1842 till 1861, when he was sent to England as the agent of the Victorian branch of the Anti-Transportation Association. He sailed on April 3, and rendered good service in thwarting Earl Grey's policy as regarded the despatch of convicts to

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

and Moreton Bay in 1862. On his return to Melbourne he entered the

Victorian Legislative Assembly The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria in Australia; the upper house being the Victorian Legislative Council. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The presiding ...

for

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, and joined the William Nicholson Ministry in October 1859 as Vice-President of the Board of Land and Works and Commissioner of Public Works 27 October 1859 to 25 November 1859. King died at sea on 26 January 1870 while returning from a health visit to

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

; his death was due to chronic bronchitis and a liver complaint. King was buried in the Presbyterian section of the

Old Melbourne Cemetery The Queen Victoria Market (also known colloquially as Vic Market or Queen Vic) is a major landmark in the central business district (CBD) of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Covering over , it is the largest open air market in the Southern Hemi ...

in Queen Street, survived by his wife, two sons and three daughters.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:King, John Charles 1817 births 1870 deaths Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly People from County Down Irish emigrants to colonial Australia Burials in Victoria (Australia) Australian auctioneers 19th-century Australian politicians 19th-century Australian businesspeople