Thomas Butler King I (August 27, 1800 – May 10, 1864) was an American politician from the state of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. Late in life, King spent ten years in the newly admitted state of

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

and twice attempted to become a senator from that state.

Early life

He was born on August 27, 1800, in

Palmer, Massachusetts Palmer is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 12,448 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. Palmer adopted a home rule charter in 2004 with a counc ...

, to Daniel King and Hannah Lord. He was of English descent, and among his first ancestors coming to America was John King, of Edwardstone, Suffolk, England, who, in 1715, was the first settler on a tract of land in what was then the Colony of Massachusetts. For a generation or more, that tract of land was known as Kingstown. Afterwards, it was called Palmer. He attended

Westfield State University Westfield State University (Westfield State) is a public university in Westfield, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1839 by Horace Mann as the first public co-educational college in America without barrier to race, gender, or economic class. Ra ...

and then studied law under his brother, Henry King in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He was admitted to the Pennsylvania State Bar in 1822.

Georgia

In 1823 he traveled with his brother, Stephen Clay King, to practice law in

Waynesville, Georgia Waynesville is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Brantley County, Georgia, United States. It is part of the Brunswick, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its ZIP code is 31566. It was first listed as a CDP in ...

. In 1824, he married Anna Matilda Page (c. 1800 – 1859). They had ten children who survived to adulthood, including a son, John Floyd King. Thomas was elected to the

Georgia Senate The Georgia State Senate is the upper house of the Georgia General Assembly, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Legal provisions The Georgia State Senate is the upper house of the Georgia General Assembly, with the lower house being the Georgia Ho ...

in 1832 to represent

Glynn County, Georgia Glynn County is located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 79,626. The county seat is Brunswick. Glynn County is part of the Brunswick, Georgia Metropolitan Statistical Area. H ...

, and served in that position in 1834, 1835, and again in 1837. He was elected to the

US 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 ...

in 1838 to the 26th Congress. King would attempt to regain his old seat in the

Confederate Congress The Confederate States Congress was both the provisional and permanent legislative assembly of the Confederate States of America that existed from 1861 to 1865. Its actions were for the most part concerned with measures to establish a new na ...

in 1863 against Julian Hartridge. King narrowly lost, receiving 2,909 votes to Hartridge's 3,077 votes and a third candidate named C.H. Hopkins' 766. This likely occurred because of distrust of King by Savannah voters.

California

King accepted an appointment in California as

tax collector A tax collector (also called a taxman) is a person who collects unpaid taxes from other people or corporations. The term could also be applied to those who audit tax returns. Tax collectors are often portrayed as being evil, and in the modern wo ...

for the

Port of San Francisco The Port of San Francisco is a semi-independent organization that oversees the port facilities at San Francisco, California, United States. It is run by a five-member commission, appointed by the Mayor and approved by the Board of Supervisors. Th ...

under President

Millard Fillmore Millard Fillmore (January 7, 1800March 8, 1874) was the 13th president of the United States, serving from 1850 to 1853; he was the last to be a member of the Whig Party while in the White House. A former member of the U.S. House of Represen ...

. King then went to work as a lobbyist for the Southern Pacific Railroad Company. He also attempted to become senator from California. San Francisco's King Street, near the port and major rail yards, is named after him.

Death

King died in Waresboro, Georgia on May 10, 1864. He was buried in the churchyard of Christ Church on St. Simons Island.

References

Sources

* Edward M. Steel, Jr. ''T. Butler King of Georgia'' (University of Georgia Press: 1964)

External links

Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library
Emory University
T. Butler King papers,1845-1851
{{DEFAULTSORT:King, Thomas Butler 1800 births 1864 deaths Georgia (U.S. state) state senators Georgia (U.S. state) lawyers People from Palmer, Massachusetts California Whigs People from Glynn County, Georgia Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Georgia (U.S. state) People from Brantley County, Georgia American slave owners 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American lawyers