Adam King (January 20, 1783 – May 6, 1835) was a Jacksonian member of the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

Early life

Johann Adam King was born in

York, Pennsylvania York ( Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Yarrick''), known as the White Rose City (after the symbol of the House of York), is the county seat of York County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located in the south-central region of the state. The populati ...

on January 20, 1783. He studied medicine in the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

and commenced practice in York.

Career

He edited and published the '' York Gazette'' from 1818 to 1835. He served as clerk of the courts of

York County, Pennsylvania York County ( Pennsylvania Dutch: Yarrick Kaundi) is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 456,438. Its county seat is York. The county was created on August 19, 1749, from part of Lancaster ...

, from 1818 to 1826. On January 29, 1825, Dr. Adam King, Col. M.H.Spangler, and Jacob Spangler escorted

Gilbert du Motier, marquis de La Fayette Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette (6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette (, ), was a French aristocrat, freemason and military officer who fought in the American Revolutio ...

and his son George Washington Lafayette, who were touring America, to

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the 9th largest city and 15th largest municipality in Pe ...

. They returned to York on February 2, where they were greeted by six military companies and large crowds of people hailing Lafayette. King was elected to the Twentieth Congress and reelected as a Jacksonian to the Twenty-first and Twenty-second Congresses. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in

1832 Events January–March * January 6 – Abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison founds the New-England Anti-Slavery Society. * January 13 – The Christmas Rebellion of slaves is brought to an end in Jamaica, after the island's white plan ...

to the Twenty-third Congress. King then resumed the practice of medicine.

Death

King died in York on May 6, 1835. He was interred at Prospect Hill Cemetery. His obituary indicates that he died at home by suicide on May 6, 1835. However, his tombstone reads: "Dr. Adam King January 20, 1783 – May 7, 1835 For 6 years (from Mar 4, 1827 – Mar 4, 1833) the deceased ably and honorably represented the county of York in the Congress of the U.S".

References

Sources

The Political Graveyard
1790 births 1835 deaths 1830s suicides Suicides in Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania alumni Physicians from Pennsylvania Politicians from York, Pennsylvania Jacksonian members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania 19th-century American politicians {{Pennsylvania-Representative-stub