Samuel Ward King (May 23, 1786 – January 20, 1851) was the 15th Governor of Rhode Island from 1839 to 1843. He was born in

Johnston, Rhode Island Johnston is a New England town, town in Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 29,568 at the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census. Johnston is the site of the Clemence Irons House (1 ...

to William Borden King and Welthian Walton King. King attended

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

but did not graduate. He became a medical doctor and worked as a surgeon during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

. In 1820, King was elected town clerk of Johnston. He became a Whig when the party was founded, and was a presidential elector in 1832. In 1838, he was elected to the

Rhode Island Senate The Rhode Island Senate is the upper house of the Rhode Island General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Rhode Island, the lower house being the Rhode Island House of Representatives. It is composed of 38 Senators, each of w ...

. He first became governor in 1839 when the legislature failed to grant a majority of votes to the three leading contenders. He was elected to three other terms. During his administration as governor, he took a strong stand against the expanded voting franchise that led to the Dorr Rebellion in 1841 – 1842. President

John Tyler John Tyler (March 29, 1790 – January 18, 1862) was the tenth president of the United States, serving from 1841 to 1845, after briefly holding office as the tenth vice president of the United States, vice president in 1841. He was elected ...

refused to send in Federal troops at Governor King's request to suppress the uprising. King married Catherine Latham Angell, with whom he had 14 children. He is buried in the King family plot in Johnston near the intersection of US Route 6A and Killingly Street.

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Political Graveyard biographical information.

* 1786 births 1851 deaths American surgeons Brown University alumni Dorr Rebellion Governors of Rhode Island People from Johnston, Rhode Island Politicians from Providence County, Rhode Island Physicians from Rhode Island Rhode Island Whigs 19th-century members of the Rhode Island General Assembly 1832 United States presidential electors Rhode Island state senators {{Rhode Island-politician-stub