American
physician,
writer,
philanthropist and
statesman:
b. Mansfield, Conn., 1791;
d. 1864.
Married to Cynthia P. King,
b. Jan. 29, 1795;
d. Aug.12, 1868. His son W. P. died Dec. 1, 1839, aged 3 years, 1 month. He and his family were laid to rest at the Brewster Cemetery, in
Prescot, CT.
After graduating in medicine, he began practicing in
Preston, Conn., and
Charleston, R. I, he continued as a physician there for eighteen years. Dr. King invented a valuable surgical instrument for the adjusting of fractured bones, and offered it freely to the medical profession.
He served in the
legislature of the
Rhode Island from 1828-34. Throughout his legislative career he was one of the strongest advocates of
suffrage and became known in political circles throughout the United States. His directed hist attention and focus to the pitiable condition of the
Narragansett Indians. His efforts directed the attention of the State to them, and he was appointed a commission to inquire into the condition of the Indians and to report on them and the best manner of dealing with the difficulty. He succeeded in in having an Indian school established and other measures of relief made for the Indians. This was practically the beginning of the measures that have since been taken to help the Indians toward American citizenship and a place in the American community.
Dr. King wrote "
Life and Times of Thomas Wilson Dorr," this book outlines the political history of Rhode Island. Thomas Dorr was the leader of the movement for universal manhood suffrage, and drafted the "
People's constitution", ratified in 1841. Door was tried and found guilty of treason by a jury made up of his polictical opponents.
Dr. King's other writings include '
An Address on Spiritualism' (1857), '
Quackcry Unmasked' (1808), and '
Tobacco What it Is and What it Does' (1861).
sources:
www.famousamericans.net/danking/
www.billofrightsinstitute.org/pdf/initiative_dorr2.pdf
http://www.thegreenpapers.com/slg/constitution.phtml