John King (official)
John King (1759–1830) was an English official of the Home Office, and in other posts, who was briefly a Member of Parliament for Enniskillen in 1806.[1]
Life
The fifth son of James King and his wife Anne Walker, he matriculated at Christ Church, Oxford in 1777, graduating B.A. in 1781, M.A. in 1784.[1][2]
King became a Home Office law clerk in January 1791.[2] He had the support of William Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville, at that time Home Secretary, and at the end of the year became Permanent Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department.[1] Under Grenville's successor Henry Dundas, King was belonged to the circle gathering government intelligence across departments, including also Richard Ford, Francis Freeling, William Huskisson, Evan Nepean, and William Windham (later Charles William Flint).[3] One surveillance operation in which he was involved was on Alfoxton House in August 1797, where William Wordsworth was staying, and about which James Walsh reported to King because of the presence of John Thelwall, an operation partly prompted by Dr. Daniel Lysons.[4][5]
Windham, a politician rather than an official, used King (an older Christ Church contemporary) as an intermediary with Greville in 1792, when entering a covert role.[6] In 1794 Nepean moved on from the Home Office, leaving King the senior of the Under-Secretaries of State, and he started to plan for a future seat in Parliament.[1][7] After the passing of the Aliens Act 1793, King also worked in the Alien Office. From an initial task of dealing with correspondence, assigned at the end of 1794, he took on further duties as the Alien Office addressed intelligence needs and countered subversion. In 1798 he became a joint superintendent of aliens, with Flint and Wickham.[2] He stayed at the Home Office until 1806, when Grenville became Prime Minister.[1]
In 1806 King was Secretary to the Treasury, with Nicholas Vansittart. This position required that he have a seat in the House of Commons, to act effectively as patronage secretary for Grenville. Ennniskillen was the constituency found for him. King, however, was uncomfortable in Parliament; and asked to be moved. He was replaced at the Treasury, and as MP, by William Henry Fremantle, in September of that year.[1][8]
Eased out of Parliament, King became comptroller of army accounts, a post he held for the rest of his life.[1][2]
Legacy
King, Ontario was named after King, by John Graves Simcoe.[9]
Family
King married Harriot Moss, daughter of Charles Moss, in 1792. They had four sons, and a daughter, Harriet, who married William Henry Blaauw.[10]
- John James, the eldest son, married Charlotte Wyndham, daughter of George Wyndham, 3rd Earl of Egremont.[11]
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
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- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
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