William R. King
William R. King | |
|---|---|
1839 portrait of King | |
| 13th Vice President of the United States | |
| In office March 4, 1853 – April 18, 1853 | |
| President | Franklin Pierce |
| Preceded by | Millard Fillmore |
| Succeeded by | John C. Breckinridge |
| United States Senator from Alabama | |
| In office July 1, 1848 – December 20, 1852 | |
| Preceded by | Arthur P. Bagby |
| Succeeded by | Benjamin Fitzpatrick |
| In office December 14, 1819 – April 15, 1844 | |
| Preceded by | Seat established |
| Succeeded by | Dixon Hall Lewis |
| President pro tempore of the United States Senate | |
| In office May 6, 1850 – December 20, 1852 | |
| Preceded by | David Rice Atchison |
| Succeeded by | David Rice Atchison |
| In office July 1, 1836 – March 4, 1841 | |
| Preceded by | John Tyler |
| Succeeded by | Samuel L. Southard |
| United States Minister to France | |
| In office April 9, 1844 – September 15, 1846 | |
| President | John Tyler James K. Polk |
| Preceded by | Lewis Cass |
| Succeeded by | Richard Rush |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina's 5th district | |
| In office March 4, 1811 – November 4, 1816 | |
| Preceded by | Thomas Kenan |
| Succeeded by | Charles Hooks |
| Member of the North Carolina House of Commons | |
| In office 1807–1809 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William Rufus DeVane King April 7, 1786 Sampson County, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | April 18, 1853 (aged 67) Selma, Alabama, U.S. |
| Resting place | Old Live Oak Cemetery |
| Political party | Democratic-Republican (before 1828) Democratic (1828–1853) |
| Education | University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (BA) |
| Signature | |
William Rufus DeVane King (April 7, 1786 – April 18, 1853) was an American politician and diplomat. He was the 13th vice president of the United States from March 4 until his death in April 1853. Earlier he had served as a U.S. representative from North Carolina and a senator from Alabama. He also served as minister to France under President James K. Polk.
A Democrat, he was a Unionist and his contemporaries considered him to be a moderate on the issues of sectionalism, slavery, and westward expansion, which contributed to the American Civil War. He helped draft the Compromise of 1850. He is the only United States vice president to take the oath of office on foreign soil; he was inaugurated in Cuba, due to his poor health. He died of tuberculosis 45 days later, becoming the third vice president to die in office. Only John Tyler and Andrew Johnson, both of whom succeeded to the presidency, have had shorter tenures. King was the only U.S. vice president from Alabama.