KING, RUFUS (1755-1827). An American po litical leader, born March 24, 1753, at Scar borough. Maine. Ile graduated at Harvard in 1777, read law with Chief Justice Theophilus Parsons, and was admitted to the bar in 1780, his studies being interrupted for a brief period in 1778, when he served as an aide to General Glover in the Rhode Island expedition. In 1783 he took his seat in the General Court of Massa chusetts, to which he was several' times reelected, and he became a member of the Continental Con grese in December. 1784, being reeleeted in 1785 and 1786. Be there introduced in Nlareh. 1785, a resolution prohibiting slavery in the Northwest Territories. The substance of this resolution was subsequently incorporated by his colleague, Na than Deno, into the famous Ordinance of 1787 (q.v.). He took a prominent part in the pro ceedings of the convention of 1787 which framed the Federal Constitution, and in the Massachu setts convention called to decide upon the adop tion or rejeetion of that instrument he was in strumental in securing ratification. In 1786 he married Mary Alsop, daughter of John Alsop, and in 1788 removed to New York City. where he was elected to the State Assembly in 1789, and in the seine year was elected to the United States Senate, where he at once took a high place as a lender of the Federalists. King was reelected
in 1795, and in 1796 lie accepted from President Washington, who had previously offered him a place in his Cabinet as Secretary of State. the re sponsible post of Minister to England. He dis tinguished himself highly in the diplomatic ser vice, in which he continued until 1803. In the year following his return he was mentioned as candidate for the Senate, and for Governor of New York, and as the Federalist candidate for Vim-President received fourteen votes. Again in 1808 he was the Federalist candidate for the seine office, receiving 47 votes. In 1813 and again in 1810 lie received the honor of an election to the United States Senate by a Legislature a majority of which was Republican. During the war with England he did not side with the extreme Feder alists, but supported the Administration in such measures as seemed to him to be for the general good. Nevertheless, in 1816, the few Federalist electoral votes for President were cast for him. In 1825-26 he was again Minister to England. Ile died April 29, 1827. An elaborate Life and Correspondence has been published by his grand son, Charles It. King (6 N'019., New York, 1804 1900).