A Young Person’s Biography of Rufus King
Rufus King was born on a farm on March 24, 1755 in Scarborough, Maine (then part of Massachusetts). He was the eldest son of Captain Richard King, a successful merchant, and his first wife, Isabella Bragdon King.
At the age of 12 he was sent to Dummer Academy in South Byfield, Massachusetts. King later entered Harvard College in Massachusetts during the summer of 1773 at the age of 18.
In 1774 while Rufus King was studying at Harvard, Massachusetts and other colonies that belonged to England decided they wanted to be free. The leaders of the American colonies asked King George to let them be independent, but King George said, "No." By 1775 the American colonists decided that the only way to be free was to fight a war with England. This war is called the American Revolution.
The American colonists created the Continental Congress or a group of people to make laws. The Continental Congress first met in 1774 and again in 1775. In 1776 the Congress asked Thomas Jefferson to write a declaration that would make the colonies free from England. This document, known as The Declaration of Independence, told King George why the colonists must be free.
As the war was happening, Rufus graduated from Harvard in 1777 first in his class, receiving first honors in Mathematics, languages and oratory. He was also considered the best athlete in running, jumping and swimming. Soon after he finished Harvard College, Rufus studied law at Newburyport, Massachusetts. In 1778 he volunteered to serve as a Major in the American Revolution and as an aide to General John Glover.
By 1783, the American colonists had defeated the English troops. The states united themselves to be the United States of America. They created their first constitution known as the Articles of Confederation.
Rufus King was already known as a successful lawyer, winning most of his cases. Three months after temporary peace terms were made with England, Rufus King had entered state politics in Massachusetts. He was elected to the General Court and on October 7, 1783 he was sworn in as a member of Massachusetts' House of Representatives. It was in this position that Rufus worked with Massachusetts Governor, John Hancock.
Rufus married Mary Alsop, the only daughter of a wealthy New York merchant, in March 30, 1786 and they moved to New York City. Mary was 15 years younger than King and they would eventually have 5 sons. The son’s names were: John, Charles, James, Edward and Frederick.
By 1787, the states felt the Articles of Confederation was not working well. Of 13 states, 12 states decided to send delegates to a convention in Philadelphia to amend the Articles that did not provide a strong central government.
At the Constitutional Convention, which opened May 14, 1787 King was probably the most eloquent speaker. He at first was against the changing of the Articles of Confederation but was soon found debating in favor of central government. He was on the committee that revised the style and arranged the order of the final draft of the Constitution and he was one of its signers for Massachusetts.
Soon after the convention, he moved to New York and was elected to the New York Assembly. He was later chosen by the legislature on July 16, 1789 to be a U.S. Senator. General Philip Schuyler and Rufus King were the first Senators to represent New York in the United States Congress. Rufus served as Senator from 1789-1796.
President George Washington then named Rufus as Minister Plenipotentiary (Ambassador) to Great Britain in 1796. Alexander Hamilton, a close aide of Washington, recommended him. He finished his term in 1803 and returned to the U.S.
In the autumn of 1804 he was made the Federalist Party's Vice-Presidential nominee with Charles C. Pinckey as the Presidential nominee. They received only 14 electoral votes, and were defeated by Jefferson and Clinton.
In 1805 King purchased a 90-acre farm in Jamaica, New York for $12,000. He worked in agriculture, imported a herd of Devon cattle from England and kept up a large correspondence. Rufus increased the size of the house to 29 rooms and added more land for his farm.
He ran again for Vice-President with Charles C. Pinckey in 1808 and was given 47 electoral votes. Although they did better in this election, James Madison and George Clinton were elected.
In 1813, Rufus King was again elected United States Senator for New York. King served two terms ending in 1825.
In the election of 1816 Rufus King ran for President against James Monroe. King won the votes of all the Federalist states, representing Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Delaware and received 34 votes to Monroe's winning 183.
Although he lost the presidency, King continued to serve as a U.S. Senator. During his last term in the Senate he took a strong stand against slavery. In 1819-1820 he argued in the Senate against the admission of Missouri as a state with slavery and fought against the Missouri Compromise of 1820. Rufus suggested that states use money from the sale of public land for the emancipation of slaves.
John Quincy Adams, a future President of the U.S., once wrote in his diary about the affect of Rufus King's powerful anti-slavery speeches. Adams was describing the bad feelings he saw at a party where slave owners were angry over King's speeches. The slave owners "...gnawed their lips and clenched their fists as they heard him...the slave-holders cannot hear of him without being seized with cramps."
King did not run for reelection to the Senate in 1825. He wanted to lead a private life. He had suffered greatly from gout, but again accepted the position as Minister to Great Britain under President John Quincy Adams. Shortly after he arrived in England he was ill and had to return to America. He died within the year (April 29, 1827) and was buried in the Cemetery of Grace Episcopal Church in Jamaica only a block away from his home.
