BIOGRAPHY: the King family; New York State
surname: King, Stowell, Bragdon, Black, Alsop, Ray, Gracie, Grade,
Worthington, Post, Nightingale, Van Rensselaer, Halsey, Martin, Paterson,
Schuyler, Waddington, Duer, Wilkes, Richards, Davis, McLane, Fisher,
Rhinelander, Lewis, Elliott, McKee, Lawrence, Cochrane, Yorke, Williamson,
Troup, Fuller, Lennig, Screven, Lorillard, Kennedy, Hecksher, Grinnell,
Delafield, Crosby, Lee, Suydam, Brewster, Weekes, Vincent, Ward, Clarke,
Westervelt, Robinson, Gordon,, Bond, Edwards, Townsend, Van Buren, Travers,
Mackay, Bronson, Parke, Edgar

submitted by W. David Samuelsen 
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Famous Families of New York, published 1917. Expired copyright

     In comparing the careers of famous families, an observer cannot fail to
be impressed by the marked difference in the fields of activity occupied by
each as a whole. One family seems more or less identified with a great estate
or a specific calling; another with a city or a series of callings; a third
with a State ; and a fourth with several States or with the nation itself.
Adams, for instance, is associated with Massachusetts, Lee with Virginia, and
Clinton with New York. In all these cases there seems to have been what may be
termed a strong love of home or an absence of the nomadic or adventurous
spirit. In striking contrast are those families where these qualities have
appeared in inverse ratio. Their male members have gone afar and have attained
distinction in other cities, States, and even lands. Nowhere is this more
noticeable than with the King family, which is of Massachusetts origin, but
which has become famous in at least six States - Massachusetts, Maine, New
York, New Jersey, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Remarkably strong and prolific, it has
produced so many influential citizens that it would be inadvisable to pay
attention to any outside of those of New York.

     The family was founded in this country by John King of Kent, England,
who came to the New World about 1702, and settled in Boston, Mass. He married
Mary Stowell, by whom he had several children. Of these, Richard, the eldest,
was born in Boston in 1718, and from his early youth displayed singular
vitality, ability, and versatility. He was a merchant, trader, speculator,
soldier, farmer, and writer, in all of which callings he made his mark. After
serving in the expedition against Louisburg, during the war with France, he
moved to Scarborough, Me., which became the permanent home of himself and of
some of his descendants. He was twice married. His first wife, Isabella
Bragdon, bore him three children, of whom Rufus, the eldest [1755], became the
head of the New York house. Mary Black, his second wife, bore him five
children, of whom William became the first Governor of the State of Maine, and
Cyrus a noted Congressman from Massachusetts.

     Rufus was graduated at Harvard in 1777, and studied law with Theophilus
Parsons, one of the leading jurists of that time. In the Revolution he was
aide-de-camp to General Glover, under General Sullivan's command, and proved
himself a brave and faithful soldier. Of his war experiences, a thrilling
story is extant. Young King, the General, and the officers were at breakfast
about a mile distant from Quaker Hill, where a lively cannonading was in
progress. The meat had not been served when the General ordered King to ride
over and ascertain how the engagement was going. The young officer shook his
head sorrowfully at losing his morning meal, but nevertheless sprang from his
chair on hearing his commander's words, and ran to where his horse was
standing. As he did so H. Sherbourne, another officer, slipped into his chair
at the table, smiling at the departing aide-de-camp. King had scarcely mounted
his horse when a stray cannon-ball entered the dining-tent and mangled
Sherbourne's foot and ankle so badly that the leg had to be removed.
Sherbourne recovered and was on warm terms of friendship with King for the
rest of his life, but ever afterwards he claimed that King owed him leg and
foot-service, while King, on the other hand, invariably removed
his hat and thanked Sherbourne for his courtesy in substituting his own leg
for King's in the trying ordeal.

     In 1783, Rufus King was elected a member of the Massachusetts General
Court, and in 1784 was made a delegate to the Continental Congress at Trenton,
being returned in 1785 and i 786. He took a very active part in the
deliberations of that body, and was a member of several important committees.
In 1787, he was a delegate from Massachusetts to the Philadelphia Convention
which made the present Constitution of the Republic. In this struggle, upon
which depended the future of the young commonwealth, King was easily one of
the great leaders. After the final draft had been made and the bill referred
to the thirteen States for their several adoption, he was sent to
Massachusetts by Congress to secure its passage by that State, which occurred
in 1788. On March 31, 1786, he married Mary Alsop, daughter of John Alsop, a
member of the First Continental Congress from New York, to which State he
transferred his domicile in 1789, shortly after Massachusetts had adopted the
Constitution. He had been so busy with his political duties that he had had no
time to make himself acquainted with the people of his new home. Great,
therefore, was his surprise in the same year when they elected him to the New
York Assembly, and greater still, a few days after joining that body, when
made their choice, with Philip Schuyler for colleague, as Senator from the
Empire State to the First Congress of the nation.

     His elevation to the Senate disclosed to him the fact that he was as
much respected in New York as in Massachusetts. His career at Washington was
marked by ability and fidelity, as well as by infinite patience. He was always
in his seat, and attended every session of the committees to which he
belonged. He took a strong part in the important debates of the period, and
was instrumental in shaping the course of legislation as well as the policy of
the Government. Now that more than a century has elapsed, it is easy to see
that he was one of the great men of that body, and that to him was due much of
the welfare which the nation subsequently enjoyed. In 1796, he was chosen
by George Washington to be Minister to the Court of St. James, where he
remained during the administration of Adams and for two years of Jefferson's.
Much work devolved upon the Minister at that time, more, in fact, than is the
case to-day, but King, with characteristic industry, attended to every matter,
great and small, working sometimes eighteen and twenty hours out of the
twentyfour. He stood the strain for seven years, and then, finding that his
health was giving way, he was relieved at his own request. Upon his return to
New York, he settled at Jamaica, L. I., where his mansion house was soon the
centre of a large literary and political circle. Here for several years he led
a studious but busy life, expressing himself with force upon the public
questions which arose from year to year. In all of these utterances he was
actuated by the sense of right, and frequently took issue with his own party.
In 1813, he was again chosen by the Legislature of New York as Senator of the
United States, and he was re-elected for the third time in 1820, nearly
unanimously, only three votes dissenting. As early as 1785, he took strong
grounds against slavery and its extension. Later he stanchly advocated the
plan of converting the proceeds of the sale of Government lands into a fund
for the purpose of emancipating slaves or for their removal, as might be
desired by the individual States. In 1825, he was again appointed Minister to
England, where he was heartily welcomed, but after a few months he found that
his declining strength was insufficient to meet the labors of the office, and,
with the deep conscientiousness which marked his life, he resigned and
returned home. He died in 1827, leaving five sons.

     In the third generation, each of the five sons of the great Senator
proved worthy children of their sire. John Alsop, the oldest [1788], was
educated at Harrow and in Paris. On his return to New York, he was admitted to
the bar. In the War of 1812, he volunteered and served in the army up to the
declaration of peace, becoming lieutenant of cavalry. A few years later (1819)
he was elected to the Assembly, which position he held for several terms. In
1823, he was a State Senator, in 1825, Secretary of the American Legation in
London, and in 1849 a Congressman. In 1856, he was elected Governor of New
York State. For many years he was President of the State Agricultural Society,
and was an earnest advocate of all measures tending to benefit the farming
interests of the commonwealth. He took a deep interest in public affairs up to
the very end of his life, serving as a delegate to the Constitutional
Convention of 1867, when seventy-nine years of age. He died the following
year. His wife was Mary Ray, by whom he had seven children, three sons and
four daughters.

     Charles, the second son [1789], was an Assemblyman (1813), a soldier in
the war with England (1814), an editor (1820), and President of Columbia
College from 1849 to 1864. He was conservative in his tendencies, and more of
a scholar than a man of the world. In his editorial labors he set high
standards, and for many years was a distinguished literary critic. In his
administration of Columbia, he bent his energies toward elevating the
scholarship of that institution, and did much toward putting it on a plane
with the older schools of the land, and changing it from a college to a
university. During his term the institution was removed, in 1857, from its
down-town site to Madison Avenue and Forty-ninth Street. This change was
marked by the raising of standards and the creation of new chairs. The
following year the Law School was established, which has since grown into one
of the leading professional schools of the world. In 1860 was brought about
the consolidation whereby the College of Physicians and Surgeons became the
medical department of Columbia College. Most notable of all was the creation
of the School of Mines in 1864, the year in which he resigned. He had foreseen
the future importance of science in the university curriculum, and was one of
the first scholars who favored the elevation of science to a parity with the
classics. After the trustees had agreed upon the new department, he made it a
point to urge thoroughness in the new foundation. It was on account of this
labor of love that the School of Mines was established upon the largest and
most generous scale then known in the United States. Charles married Eliza
Gracie, daughter of Archibald Gracie, by whom he had seven children, three
sons and four daughters; and upon the death of his first wife he espoused
Henrietta Low, by whom he had six children.

     James Gore [1791], third son of Rufus, studied in London, Paris, and at
Harvard, being graduated from the last in 1810. Owing to these educational
advantages, he was recognized as one of the most cultured men in the first
half of the century. in the War of 1812, when but twenty-three, he was
Assistant Adjutant-General of the New York militia. In 1815 he established,
under the firm name of James G. King & Co., a commission house in New York,
his partner being his father-inlaw, Archibald Grade. In 1818, he gave up
business in this city, and went to England, where, at Liverpool, he formed a
partnership with his brother-in-law under the title of King & Gracie. Here he
remained six years, winning the friendship and esteem of many famous
merchants. Notable among these was John Jacob Astor, who subsequently named
Mr. King as an executor of his will and a trustee of the Astor Library. At Mr.
Astor's suggestion, Mr. King became a partner in the house of Prime, Ward,
Sands, King, & Co., which in 1826 became the firm of Prime, Ward, & King.

     He prospered in business and became a leader in the Wall Street world.
When the financial crisis of 1837 took place, he crossed to Great Britain and
induced the governors of the Bank of England to send five millions in gold to
his house for the relief of American bankers. This prompt action restored
confidence, brought back specie payments, and put a quick end to the panic,
which might otherwise have worked incalculable harm. He became a member of the
Chamber of Commerce in 1817; he served as its Vice-President [1841-1847], and
as President [1848-1849]. In the latter year he was elected to Congress from
New Jersey, and served one term in that body, his service being marked by his
business ability. He fathered what was known as the "King system" for
collecting the revenue, which was adopted by the Government, and has remained
practically unchanged ever since. Prior to that time there were many minor
officials, each one of whom enjoyed a quasi-independence of the rest. King saw
that this was unbusinesslike, and that in so important a matter as the
collecting of a nation's income the system should be as thoroughly organized
and centralized as in any great commercial house. The rapidity with which the
nation now transacts its business affairs is, therefore, a monument to the
genius of James Gore King, the financier. He married Sarah Rogers Gracie,
daughter of Archibald Gracie, and sister of Eliza, who married his brother
Charles. The union was a very happy one, being blessed by eight children,
three sons and five daughters.

     Edward [1795], fourth son of Rufus, was a student at Columbia College
and the Litchfield Law School, and was admitted to the Ohio bar upon his
coming of age. He was one of the pioneers of that State, his greatest work
being the founding of the Cincinnati Law School in 1833. He married Sarah
Worthington, by whom he had two sons. A physician, Frederic Gore [1801], was
the fifth and youngest son of Rufus. He was graduated from Harvard in 1821,
and took his medical degree from Columbia in 1824. He finished his studies in
Italy and France in the following year, and then returned to New York, where
he soon became a prominent practitioner. He was a staff physician of the New
York Hospital and a demonstrator of anatomy in the College of Physicians and
Surgeons. He married Emily Post, daughter of Dr. Wright Post, but the union
proved childless.

     While the third generation was entirely male, the fourth had a
preponderance of women, there being eighteen granddaughters to thirteen
grandsons. Of the former, those who married were: Mary, to Phineas M.
Nightingale; Elizabeth Ray, to Brigadier-General Henry Van Rensselaer, U. S.
A.; Caroline, to her cousin, James Gore II.; Eliza Gracie, to the Rev. Charles
Henry Halsey; Esther, to James G. Martin; Alice C., to Andrew Bell Paterson;
Emily S., to Stephen Van Rensselaer Paterson; Gertrude, to Eugene Schuyler;
Mary A., to William H. Waddington, French Minister at the Court of St. James;
Caroline, to Denning Duer; Harriet, to Dr. George Wilkes; Mary, to Edgar H.
Richards; Frederica Gore, to John C. B. Davis, Minister to Germany; and Fanny
L., to James L. McLane. Of the grandsons, eleven grew up and filled important
places in the community. Charles Ray, the oldest son of John Alsop, was
graduated from Columbia in 1831, and from the University of Pennsylvania, in
medicine, in 1824. He became a successful physician, and married Hannah
Fisher. Upon her death he espoused her sister, Nancy Fisher. John Alsop II.
married Mary Colden Rhinelander. Richard II. married Elizabeth Lewis. Rufus
II. was graduated from West Point, served in the Engineer Corps, and was
engaged upon the construction of Fortress Monroe. He left the army, and became
an engineer on the Erie Railway. Thereafter he entered journalism, and at one
time edited the New York Daily Advertiser. He went to Wisconsin,, where he was
made editor of the Milwaukee Sentinel. He was a member of the Constitutional
Convention of Wisconsin, and for his services to the State was appointed
Minister to Rome in March, 1861. On the outbreak of the Rebellion, he resigned
from the diplomatic service in order to enter the army, and rose to the rank
of brigadier-general. His health breaking down, he retired from the service,
and was reappointed as Minister to Rome, but returned home in 1867. He married
Susan Elliott.

     William Gracie, son of Charles, was graduated from Columbia (1834), and
married Adeline McKee. Cornelius Low was graduated from Columbia (1848), and
entered the army at the outbreak of the Civil War, in which he became
lieutenant-colonel. He married Julia Lawrence, and, upon her death, Janet de
Kay. James Gore II. married Caroline King. Archibald Gracie married Elizabeth
Denning Duer.

     Edward II. [1833], son of James Gore I., was graduated from Harvard in
1853, and has been President of the Harvard Club of New York. He is prominent
in banking circles, and served as President of the New York Stock Exchange.
He belongs to many of the leading clubs of the metropolis, and is a trustee of
the New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations. In early
life he married Isabella Ramsay Cochrane, and, some years after her death,
Elizabeth Fisher.

     In the fifth generation, one member of the family has become well known.
This is General Charles King [1844], son of General Rufus King. He was
educated at Columbia and West Point, being graduated from the latter in i866.
He held numerous military positions, and served many years upon the frontier.
At the battle of Sunset Pass, Arizona, he was severely wounded, and was
compelled to retire from the service in 1879. In 1889, he became professor of
military science at the University of Wisconsin, and about the same time
gained attention as an author of military novels. At the breaking out of the
war with Spain he promptly offered his services and was appointed a
brigadier-general. He married Adelaide L. Yorke. Rufus King III. married Maria
Williamson.

     On the female side, this generation became connected with many prominent
families. Among these were Troup, Fuller, Lennig, Screven, Lorillard, Van
Rensselaer, Kennedy, Hecksher, Waddington, Grinnell, Delafield, Crosby, Davis,
Lee, Suydam, Brewster, Weekes, Halsey, Vincent, Ward, Clarke, Westervelt,
Robinson, Gordon, Paterson, Bond, Edwards, Townsend, Van Buren, Duer, Travers,
Mackay, Bronson, Richards, Parke, Edgar, and Williamson. The prestige of the
family has been largely increased by the achievements of the collateral
branches. These, as already mentioned, have made records for themselves in
other States, and of their descendants many have settled in the Empire State,
and become more or less identified with its interests.

     The characteristics of the family have been energy and ambition. The
latter has been directed toward power rather than pelf. Those who have entered
business have been successful, but have not attained so high a position
comparatively as those who took up statecraft or war. In public affairs, the
family has a notable record, both in Congress and in State Legislatures. They
have taken part in every war from the early struggles of England and the
colonies against France and the Indians, down to the recent conflict with
Spain. In each they have won promotion and praise. While manifesting a deep
love for physical and mental activity, they combine with it a strong affection
for study and reading. Richard, head of the family in Maine, wrote both prose
and verse. One of his essays is supposed to have been written while he was
engaged in the expedition against Louisburg, and it is interesting to point
out that the latest novel by his great-greatgrandson, General Charles King,
was written in the leisure hours of his warfare in the Philippines.