Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 06.djvu/273

 KINCi

KING

was elected a trustee of Dickinson college, and received the lionorary degree of LL.D from AUe- glieny college in 1897. He is the author of: Kinr/'s Guide to Regiment and Courts Martial (1871); Silver Wedding Anniversary of Plymouth Church, 1S7J (ISIS); The Congregational Council in Plymouth Church, 1S76 (1876); History of 13th Regiment Trip to Montreal (1897); History of Dickinson College (1898), and several collections of songs.

KING, James Gore, financier, was born in New York city, May 8, 1791; son of Rufus and Mary (Alsop) King. He attended school in Eng- land and Paris and was graduated from Harvard in 1810. He commenced the studj* of law, but abandoned it to serve in the war of 1812 as an assistant adjutant-general of the New York mili- tia. He established the commission house of James G. King & Co. in New York in 1815, and in 1818 removed to Liverpool, England, and es- tablished there, with "William Gracie, his brother- in-law, the banking house of King & Gracie. In 1824 he returned to New York and was offered the i^residency of the American Fur company by John Jacob Astor, which he declined. He en- tered the banking firm of Prime, "Ward, Sands & Co. in 182-4, which firm became Prime, "SVard, King & Co. in 1826, and subsequently James G. King & Sous. He was active in promoting the construction of the New York and Erie railway and served for some time as president of the cor- poration, without remuneration. He resigned tliis post during the crisis of 1837. and used his influence in maintaining the credit of the New Y'ork banks. He visited London for this purpose, and persuaded the directors of the Bank of Eng- land, on the guarantee of Baring Brothers & Co., to advance £1,000,000 to assist the banks, which relieved the panic. He was elected a member of the chamber of commerce in 1817; was vice- jDresident, 1841-45, and president, 1845-48. He was a repi'esentative in the 31st congress from New Jersey, 1849-51, and retired to private life. He died in Weehawken, N.J., Oct. 3, 1853,

KING, James L., librarian, was born in La Harpe, Hancock county, 111., Aug. 2, 1850; son of Col. Selah Williams and Eliza (Aleshire) King. His father was an officer in the 50th Illinois in- fantry in the civil war. He was educated at La Harpe academy, and in 1867 was apprenticed to the printer's trade in the office of the Gazette, Carthage, 111. He became owner and editor of the Home Xews, a weekly paper published in La Harpe; engaged in the book and stationery busi- ness, and in 1870 removed to Iowa and establislied the Headlight, the first paper published in the town of Creston. He was engaged in newspaper work in Topeka, Kan., 1871-76. when he entered the Toi)eka postoffice, and filled every position to

that of postmaster, receiving the latter appoint- ment from President Harrison in 1889, and serv- ing until the close of the administration. He engaged in journalistic work until 1894, when he was appointed state librarian of Kansas. He was married, Oct. 10. 1877, to Elizabeth, daughter of Edwin B. and Celestia J. Coolbaugh of Towauda, Pa.

KING, James Wilson, naval engineer, was born in Baltimore, Md., Aug. 26, 1822; son of Thomas and Mary Jane King. He was reared on his grandfather's farm in ^Maryland and was ed- ucated at St. James's academy. When sixteen years old he saw the first locomotive used on the Baltimore and Ohio railroad, and the mechanism so interested him that he determined to become a mechanical engineer, and he obtained emploj'- ment in a machine shop in Baltimore. In 1842 he went to Washington, D.C., to seethe Missis- sippi and Missouri, the first two sea-going steam- ships built for the U.S. navy. This visit decided him to join the U.S. engineer corps, then partly organized, and he was appointed a third assistant engineer, U.S.N., Sept. 2, 1844, and promoted chief engineer, Nov. 12, 1852. He served on the first steamers used by the navy, and on the Mis- sissi2)pi during the war with Mexico. He cruised in the Mediterranean on board the Pi'inceton, the first screw-ship of war to cross the Atlantic, 1849-51; served on the Saranac in the home squadron and on the Michigan in the northern lakes, 1853-54. He was inspector of the Collins and Law lines of steamships, New York, ls.j5-50; superintendent of machinery for the Wabash at Philadelphia, 1856-58; served on the Wabash in the home squadron, 1858-61; as chief engineer of the Brooklyn, N.Y"., navj'-yard, 1861-62; as chief engineer of the blockading fleet, being present at the capture of the forts at Hatteras and Port Royal, 1862-63, and superintendent of machin- ery and material for hulls of iron-clads being built west of the Alleglianies, 1863-64, He was chief engineer at the Brooklyn navy-yard. 1866- 67; chief of the bureau of steam engineering at Washington, D.C., 1869-73; and general inspect- or of engineering works and U.S. inspector of machinery at the Vienna exposition, 1873-74. He was again in Europe inspecting and reporting on the advanced methods of shipbuilding, 1875- 76: and his last duties were as chief engineer of Boston navy-yard, 1877-81. He made the first successful condenser for distilling sea water on shipboard, and the first steel steam cutter, ami invented the system of rentilating ships bj- ex- hausting the foul air. He is the author of: Practical Notes on Steam and the Steam Engine (1860); European Ships of War (1877); The War Ships and Navies of the World (1880); and contri butions to technical periodicals.