John Pendleton King (April 3, 1799March 19, 1888) was an attorney, planter, and politician, serving as

United States Senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...

from

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

. 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 The Georgia Railroad and Banking Company also seen as "GARR", was a historic railroad and banking company that operated in the U.S. state of Georgia. In 1967 it reported 833 million revenue-ton-miles of freight and 3 million passenger-miles; at ...

, 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 Glasgow is a home rule-class city in Barren County, Kentucky, United States. It is the seat of its county. Glasgow is the principal city of the Glasgow micropolitan area, which comprises Barren and Metcalfe counties. The population was 15,01 ...

, King moved in infancy with his parents to

Bedford County, Tennessee Bedford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 50,237. Its county seat is Shelbyville. Bedford County comprises the Shelbyville, TN Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also in ...

, and then to

Augusta, Georgia Augusta is a city on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The city lies directly across the Savannah River from North Augusta, South Carolina at the head of its navigable portion. Augusta, the third mos ...

, 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 Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainmen ...

(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 A judge is a person who wiktionary:preside, presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a judicial panel. In an adversarial system, the judge hears all the witnesses and any other Evidence (law), evidence presented by the barris ...

of the

Court of Common Pleas A court of common pleas is a common kind of court structure found in various common law jurisdictions. The form originated with the Court of Common Pleas at Westminster, which was created to permit individuals to press civil grievances against one ...

in 1831. He was elected in 1833 as a Jacksonian (later

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

) to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

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 A financial crisis is any of a broad variety of situations in which some financial assets suddenly lose a large part of their nominal value. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, many financial crises were associated with banking panics, and ma ...

, which King blamed entirely on the policies of

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...

, which included removal of federal deposits from the Bank of the United States and the

Specie Circular The Specie Circular is a United States presidential executive order issued by President Andrew Jackson on 11 July 1836 pursuant to the Coinage Act of 1834. It required payment for government land to be in gold and silver (specie). It was repe ...

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

, serving from 1841 to 1878. He worked as a railroad promoter and

cotton Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...

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 Summerville is a city and the county seat of Chattooga County, Georgia, United States. The population was 4,435 at the 2020 census. History Summerville was founded in 1838 as the seat of the newly formed Chattooga County. It was incorporated a ...

and was interred in St. Paul's Churchyard, Augusta.

Honors and legacy

King is the namesake of the city of

Kingston, Georgia Kingston is a village in Bartow County, Georgia, United States. The population was 722 at the 2020 census. Geography Kingston is located in west-central Bartow County at (34.235749, -84.944648). According to the United States Census Bureau, ...

. 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

* Dictionary of American Biography * Mellichamp, Josephine. "John King." In Senators From Georgia. pp. 107–10. Huntsville, Ala.: Strode Publishers, 1976. {{DEFAULTSORT:King, John Pendleton 1799 births 1888 deaths People from Glasgow, Kentucky Jacksonian United States senators from Georgia (U.S. state) Democratic Party United States senators from Georgia (U.S. state) Georgia (U.S. state) Democrats Georgia (U.S. state) state court judges People from Bedford County, Tennessee People from Summerville, Georgia Politicians from Augusta, Georgia Georgia (U.S. state) lawyers Academy of Richmond County alumni United States senators who owned slaves 19th-century United States senators