Preston King

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Preston King

Preston King (born  October 14, 1806 in Ogdensburg , New York , †  November 12, 1865 in New York City ) was an American politician who represented the state of New York in both chambers of the US Congress .

King first studied classical antiquity and graduated from Union College in Schenectady in 1827 . After training as a lawyer, he was inducted into the bar and began practicing in St. Lawrence County . With the St. Lawrence Republican he published a newspaper from 1830; from 1831 to 1834 he served as postmaster in his hometown.

His political career began with the election to the New York State Assembly , of which he was a member from 1835 to 1838. King, then still a Democrat , moved into the United States House of Representatives on March 4, 1843 , where he represented the 18th Congressional constituency of New York State for four years  . After joining the Free Soil Party , he returned to Congress on March 4, 1849, and spent another four years there.

Eventually, King joined the Republicans and was elected their representative to the US Senate . He took up his mandate there from March 4, 1857 and after a six-year legislative period left the Congress at his own request. During this time he was among other things chairman of the Committee on Revolutionary Claims . In the meantime, he was considered a candidate for the Republican nomination for Vice President in 1860 , which then went to Hannibal Hamlin .

As a result, Preston King was again active as a lawyer, but also continued to participate in the political process. In 1864 he was a member of the Republican Electoral College , which President Abraham Lincoln confirmed in office. His successor Andrew Johnson appointed King in 1865 as tax collector in the port of New York. There, these committed in the same year suicide when he jumped and with a tied around his neck bag of balls from a ferry drowned.

Web links

  • Preston King in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
personal data
SURNAME King, Preston
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American politician
DATE OF BIRTH October 14, 1806
PLACE OF BIRTH Ogdensburg , New York
DATE OF DEATH November 12, 1865
Place of death New York City