Edward King (Ohio politician)

Edward King (March 13, 1795 – February 6, 1836) was an Ohio legislator and lawyer who was twice Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives, and was on the first faculty of the Cincinnati Law School.

Edward King was born at Albany, New York, fourth son of the Honorable Rufus King, who was then a Senator. Rufus King became Ambassador to Great Britain in 1796, and Edward spent his early youth in London. He returned to the United States and graduated from Columbia University and from law school in Litchfield, Connecticut. He emigrated to Chillicothe, Ohio in 1815, and was admitted to the bar in 1816.

In 1816, King married Sarah Worthington, second daughter of Governor Thomas Worthington. He acquired a good practice, and personal popularity. He also held several elected offices while living in Chillicothe. He was Prosecuting Attorney of Ross County in 1819. In 1823-1824, he represented his county in the Ohio House of Representatives in the 22nd General Assembly. In 1825, he was again Prosecuting Attorney, and was again in the Ohio House December 1825 - 1829 for the 24th through 27th General Assemblies, serving as Speaker of the House in the 26th and 27th General Assemblies. In 1830, for the 29th General Assembly, he represented his county in the Ohio Senate. During the 1830-1831 Assembly, he lost election for United States Senator to Thomas Ewing. He was affiliated with the National Republican Party.

In 1831, Edward King moved to Cincinnati, where he was instrumental in establishing Cincinnati Law School, the first law school in the West, in 1833. The first professors were King, Judge John C. Wright, and Judge Timothy Walker, who served as Dean.

In 1834, King fell ill, moved to the South, in search of a gentler climate, and returned to Cincinnati to die on February 6, 1836. He was buried at Grandview Cemetery (Chillicothe, Ohio).

Edward and Sarah King were parents of Rufus King, a prominent Cincinnati lawyer who became Dean of the Cincinnati Law School, and Thomas King of Columbus, Ohio. King's widow, Sarah Ann, married William Peter of Harlyn, Cornwall, England, Britannic Majesty's Consul at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Widowed again in 1853, she became a devout convert to the Roman Catholic faith. She traveled frequently to Europe, and became a friend of Pope Pius IX, attending the First Vatican Council. Sarah died in 1877 in Cincinnati.