Overview

William Rufus deVane King was born on April 7 and is recorded as born in 1786. He died on April 18, a year listed with the anchor 1853. King built a long career in national politics in the first half of the 19th century. He served in multiple federal roles, including as a member of the House of Representatives and as a U.S. senator, before becoming the thirteenth vice president of the United States.

Political career and roles

King represented his region in the U.S. House as a U.S. representative from North Carolina early in his career and later moved westward in line with population growth, establishing himself in Alabama. He won election to the U.S. Senate and served for many years as a senator from Alabama, where he became a senior figure in his party and in Senate practice. His legislative career made him a recognizable national leader within the Democratic ranks of his era.

Vice presidency and final days

In 1853 King was chosen as vice president on the Democratic ticket. Because he suffered from a serious illness, he traveled to Cuba to seek recovery and — while still abroad — was sworn into the vice presidency, becoming the only U.S. vice president administered the oath on foreign soil. His time in office was extremely brief; excluding those who ascended to the presidency, he is commonly noted as the shortest-serving vice president, a distinction referenced alongside figures such as John Tyler and Andrew Johnson.

Legacy and context

King's career is remembered for long Senate service and a sudden, brief vice presidency curtailed by illness and death. He was also a planter and owned enslaved people, a fact that shaped both his personal life and political positions and is an important part of how historians assess his record. Over time scholars have considered King within the broader political, social and sectional tensions that characterized the United States in the decades before the Civil War.

Positions held

  • U.S. Representative (early service representing North Carolina)
  • U.S. Senator from Alabama (long-term Senate career)
  • 13th Vice President of the United States (inaugurated while convalescing abroad)

King's life illustrates how illness, regional politics and national office could intersect in a turbulent period of American history. For a concise chronology and primary sources consult specialized biographies and archival listings that collect his speeches, votes, and correspondence.