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John Pendleton King

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American politician (1799–1888)

John Pendleton King
United States Senator
from Georgia
In office
November 21, 1833 – November 1, 1837
Preceded byGeorge Troup
Succeeded byWilson Lumpkin
Personal details
Born(1799-04-03)April 3, 1799
Glasgow, Kentucky
DiedMarch 19, 1888(1888-03-19) (aged 88)
Summerville, Georgia
Political partyJacksonian
Signature

John Pendleton King (April 3, 1799 – March 19, 1888) was an attorney, planter, and politician, serving as United States Senator from Georgia. He resigned in 1837 before the end of his term to devote himself to his plantation and business, serving for nearly 40 years as president of the Georgia Railroad and Banking Company, and becoming a cotton manufacturer. He acquired large plantation holdings, and by 1860 owned 69 slaves to work the cotton fields and related trades.

Early life and education

Born in Glasgow, Kentucky, King moved in infancy with his parents to Bedford County, Tennessee, and then to Augusta, Georgia, in 1815. He graduated from the Academy of Richmond County in Augusta, and studied law. He was admitted to the bar in 1819 and practiced in Augusta.

Marriage and family

After beginning his practice, King married Mary Louise Woodward, daughter of John Woodward and wife Harriet Bixby. They had at least two daughters and a son together. Grace Sterling King married John McPherson Berrien Connelly and they had children. Mary Livingstone King married Henry Paget, 4th Marquess of Anglesey (1835–1898).

Studies and politics

King studied in Europe from 1822 to 1824. He returned and continued the practice of law in Augusta until 1829. He was a member of the State constitutional conventions in 1830 and 1833. He was appointed judge of the Court of Common Pleas in 1831. He was elected in 1833 as a Jacksonian (later Democrat) to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of George M. Troup. He was reelected in 1834 and served from November 21, 1833, until November 1, 1837, when he resigned. In that year, the United States was in the midst of a financial panic, which King blamed entirely on the policies of Andrew Jackson, which included removal of federal deposits from the Bank of the United States and the Specie Circular requiring purchases of federal land to be made in gold or silver currency, rather than bank notes or other instruments.

Business and plantation

After his time in politics, King became president of the Georgia Railroad and Banking Company, serving from 1841 to 1878. He worked as a railroad promoter and cotton manufacturer. In 1865 he was a member of the State constitutional convention in 1865.

During this period he also continued as a planter and expanded his landholdings considerably, amassing a large estate. From 1830, he more than tripled the number of slaves he owned, in order to work those properties. In 1830, he owned 22 slaves in Augusta, Georgia. In 1840, he owned 55 slaves. In 1850, he owned 57 slaves. In 1860, he owned 68 slaves. King died in Summerville, Georgia and was interred in St. Paul's Churchyard, Augusta.

Honors and legacy

King is the namesake of the city of Kingston, Georgia. Pendleton King Park in Augusta, Georgia is named for his grandson, John Pendleton King II, who died at age 29 of a brain aneurysm. Kings Mill was also named after him.

References

  1. King, John Pendleton (1837). "Speech of Mr. King, of Georgia, on the bill imposing additional duties, as depositaries...delivered in the Senate of the U.S., Sept. 23, 1837". Gales & Seaton. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
  2. 1830 United States Census, United States census, 1830; Augusta, Georgia; page 274, 275,. Retrieved on 6 March 2016.
  3. 1840 United States Census, United States census, 1840; Augusta Ward 5, Richmond, Georgia;. Retrieved on 6 March 2016.
  4. "1850 United States Census, Slave Schedules", United States census, 1850; Division 73, Richmond, Georgia; page 931, 983,. Retrieved on 6 March 2016.
  5. "1860 United States Census, Slave Schedules", United States census, 1860; Augusta City Ward 2, Richmond, Georgia; page 306, 310,. Retrieved on 6 March 2016.
  6. "Kingston". Calhoun Times. September 1, 2004. p. 20. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
  7. "Pendleton King Park History". Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  8. "The Sunken Blue Garden". The Sunken Blue Garden.
U.S. Senate
Preceded byGeorge Troup U.S. senator (Class 2) from Georgia
November 21, 1833 - November 1, 1837
Served alongside: John Forsyth, Alfred Cuthbert 		Succeeded byWilson Lumpkin
Honorary titles
Preceded byPeleg Sprague Most senior living U.S. senator
(Sitting or former)
October 13, 1880 - March 19, 1888 		Succeeded byHenry A. Foster
United States senators from Georgia
Class 2 United States Senate
Class 3
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