William R. King

William R. King was an American politician and diplomat who served as the 13th vice president of the United States for a brief period in 1853 under President Franklin Pierce. A prominent figure in the Democratic Party for decades, he held significant roles including U.S. senator from Alabama, president pro tempore of the United States Senate, and U.S. minister to France. His tenure as vice president was the shortest in American history, lasting only 45 days before his death from tuberculosis.

Early life and education

William Rufus DeVane King was born in Sampson County, North Carolina, to a wealthy planter family. He was educated at private schools and graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1803. After his studies, he read law in Fayetteville, North Carolina, under the tutelage of William Duffy and was admitted to the North Carolina bar in 1806. He began his legal practice in Clinton, North Carolina, but soon turned his ambitions toward politics and public service, influenced by the political landscape of the early American Republic.

Political career

King’s political career began in the Democratic-Republican Party, winning election to the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina in 1810. He served in the 12th United States Congress and subsequent sessions, developing a reputation as a staunch supporter of the War of 1812. In 1818, he moved to the Alabama Territory, helping to draft its constitution and facilitate its admission to the Union. Upon Alabama's statehood in 1819, the Alabama Legislature elected him to the United States Senate, where he would serve for nearly three decades with only brief interruptions. A devoted Jacksonian and later a leading Southern Democrat, King was a forceful advocate for states' rights and the interests of the planter class. He served as president pro tempore of the Senate on multiple occasions and played a key role in brokering the Compromise of 1850. From 1844 to 1846, he served as the United States Minister to France during the administration of President James K. Polk.

Vice presidency and death

At the 1852 Democratic National Convention, King was nominated for vice president on the ticket with Franklin Pierce, partly to balance the ticket geographically. By the time of the election, King was already gravely ill with tuberculosis. In a unique arrangement, and due to his deteriorating health, Congress passed special legislation allowing him to take the oath of office near his plantation in Cuba, where he had gone in a futile attempt to recuperate. He was sworn in on March 24, 1853, and immediately returned to the United States, arriving at his estate, "King's Bend," near Cahaba, Alabama. He never performed any official duties, and died there on April 18, 1853, just 45 days into his term. The vacancy in the vice presidency remained for the rest of Pierce's term, as the U.S. Constitution at the time had no provision for filling such a vacancy.

Legacy and honors

King's legacy is that of a quintessential antebellum Southern politician who wielded significant influence in the United States Congress during a period of escalating sectional conflict. His name is memorialized in King County, Texas, which was named in his honor in 1876. His historic swearing-in outside the United States remains a unique footnote in American political history. His close personal and political relationship with President James Buchanan, with whom he shared a residence in Washington, D.C., for many years, has been the subject of considerable historical discussion and analysis regarding 19th-century social and political bonds. His papers are held by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Alabama Department of Archives and History.

Category:1786 births Category:1853 deaths Category:Vice presidents of the United States Category:United States senators from Alabama Category:American diplomats Category:Democratic Party vice presidential nominees