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William King | |
|---|---|
 portrait byGilbert Stuart, 1806 | |
| 1st Governor of Maine | |
| In office March 15, 1820 – May 28, 1821 | |
| Succeeded by | William D. Williamson |
| Member of theMassachusetts Senate | |
| In office 1807–1811 1816–1820 | |
| Member of theMassachusetts House of Representatives | |
| In office 1795–1799 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1768-02-09)February 9, 1768 |
| Died | June 17, 1852(1852-06-17) (aged 84) Bath, Maine, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic-Republican |
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William King (February 9, 1768 – June 17, 1852) was an American merchant, shipbuilder, army officer, and statesman fromBath, Maine. A proponent of statehood for Maine, he became its firstgovernor when it separated fromMassachusetts in 1820. He was the half-brother ofRufus King, who was a member of the Confederation Congress from Massachusetts, delegate to the Constitutional Convention of 1787, served as United States Senator from New York (from 1789 to 1796 and again from 1813 to 1825), and as Minister Plenipotentiary to the Court of St. James from 1796 to 1803 and again from 1825 to 1826.
William King was born to Richard King, a merchant and shipowner, and Mary Black, on February 9, 1768, atScarborough, then in theProvince of Massachusetts Bay. His formal education was limited to local schools (he spent one term atPhillips Academy) and ended when he was thirteen. He was largely self-educated. Starting as a hand in a saw-mill, he went on to open his own mill.
King was employed in a wide variety of businesses, including as a shipbuilder, then a ship-owner. He became the largest merchant shipping owner in Maine. He became a successful merchant and a significant real-estate investor. He opened the first cotton mill in Maine, atBrunswick. He founded and was president of the first bank ofBath.
In 1812, what is now known as theStone House, King's summer retreat, was built in rural Bath.[1]
King was aScottish Rite Freemason and later – while he was the Governor of the State – he became the first (Past)Grand Master of Maine,[2][3] elected in June 1820, by the representatives of twenty-four Lodges which "met, adopted a Constitution, and elected officers".[4]
King became active politically in 1795 as a member of theDemocratic-Republican Party. He representedTopsham in theMassachusetts House of Representatives in 1795 and 1799. After he moved to Bath, he represented that town in 1804. He served in theMassachusetts Senate forLincoln County from 1807 to 1811.
When theWar of 1812 began, Massachusetts made him major general of the militia, in charge of theDistrict of Maine. He devoted much of his attention to coastal shipping and defenses. He also led recruiting efforts for the regular army, for which he was made a colonel in theUnited States Army. In 1813 King began a seven-year effort that started with his petition to Massachusetts for separation.
In 1816 he was re-elected to theMassachusetts Senate, and finally secured their approval for Maine to become a separate state, in 1818. TheMissouri Compromise allowed Maine to be recognized as a state on March 15, 1820. He was shortly thereafter elected governor of the new state.[5]
In May 1821, PresidentJames Monroe named him as one of three commissioners to settle land claims from the 1819Adams–Onís Treaty known as the Spanish Claims Commission. King resigned as governor on May 28, 1821, to take the position of U.S. commissioner, serving until 1824.
In 1828 he was appointed by president Andrew Jackson to serve as Customs Collector of Bath.
With the shifting of political parties, he ran once more for governor, as aWhig in 1835, but lost.
King continued as a prominent business man, investor, and ship-owner. Even though he had a very limited education, he served for years as a trustee and overseer ofBowdoin College, and as a trustee of Waterville College (now calledColby College).[6]
He died at home, inBath, Maine, on June 17, 1852, and is buried in the city'sMaple Grove Cemetery.[7]
In 1878, the State of Maine placed theWilliam King statue by sculptorFranklin Simmons in theNational Statuary Hall of theU.S. Capitol Building.[6] In 1902, a descendent placed a plaque on a boulder at the King Burial Ground in Scarborough to memorialize Richard King and his sons, including William. In 2024, the Scarborough Historical Society added an information sign to provide additional information about the family.[8]
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Whig nominee forGovernor of Maine 1835 | Succeeded by William Kent |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by none | Governor of Maine 1820–1821 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
