John Alsop King (January 3, 1788July 7, 1867) was an American politician who was the twentieth governor of New York from 1857 to 1858. He was the 1st Republican governor of New York.
Life
King was born in the area now encompassed by New York City on January 3, 1788, to U.S. senator Rufus King (1755–1827) and Mary (née Alsop) King. His maternal grandparents were John Alsop (1724–1794), a prominent merchant and Mary Frogat (1744–1772). John A. King was part of the King family of Massachusetts and New York through his mother.
He had four younger brothers, including Charles King (1789–1867), who was President of Columbia University, and Congressman James G. King (1791–1853), Edward King (1795–1836) and Frederic Gore King (1802–1829).
When his father was appointed the U.S. ambassador to Great Britain, the family moved to Britain, and King was educated at Harrow School. Upon graduating from Harrow, King returned to New York City to study law. He was admitted to the bar and practiced in New York City.
United States Congress
King was elected as a Whig to the 31st United States Congress, holding office from March 4, 1849, to March 3, 1851.
Governor of New York
His term as Governor of New York from 1857 to 1858 was noted for improvements to the State's education system and the enlargement of the Erie Canal. Following a series of attacks (the so-called Quarantine War of 1858) on the quarantine facility on Staten Island, King dispatched several units of the New York State Militia to briefly occupy the island. In 1859, King was elected as an honorary member of the New York Society of the Cincinnati.
Presidential Elector
In the 1860 presidential election, when the Republicans won New York, King was elected a presidential elector and voted for Abraham Lincoln and Hannibal Hamlin.
Personal life
He was married to Mary Ray (1790–1873), daughter of Cornelius and Elizabeth Elmendorf Ray. Together, John and Mary had:
- Mary King (1810–1894), who married Phineas Miller Nightingale (1803–1873)
- Charles Ray King (1813–1901), who married Hannah Wharton Fisher (1816–1870) in 1839. After her death, he married her sister, Nancy Wharton Fisher (1826–1905) in 1872.
- Elizabeth Ray King (1815–1900), who married Henry Bell Van Rensselaer (1810–1864), a United States Congressman and member of the Van Rensselaer family.
- John Alsop King Jr. (1817–1900), a state senator who married Mary Colden Rhinelander (1818–1894), granddaughter of Josiah Ogden Hoffman (1766–1837)
- Caroline King (1820–1900), who married her first cousin, James Gore King Jr. (1819–1867), son of James G. King
- Richard King (1822–1891), who married Elizabeth Lewis (1822–1891), daughter of Mordecai Lewis in 1839
- Cornelia King (1824–1897)
- Ellen King (1825–1827)
King died on July 7, 1867, in Queens County, New York, and was buried at the Grace Church Cemetery in Jamaica, Queens.