William King (governor)

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "William King" governor – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (December 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

William King
portrait by Gilbert Stuart, 1806
1st Governor of Maine
In office March 15, 1820 – May 28, 1821
Succeeded by	William D. Williamson
Member of the Massachusetts Senate
In office 1807–1811 1816–1820
Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
In office 1795–1799
Personal details
Born	(1768-02-09)February 9, 1768 Scarborough, Province of Massachusetts Bay, British America
Died	June 17, 1852(1852-06-17) (aged 84) Bath, Maine, U.S.
Political party	Democratic-Republican

William King (February 9, 1768 – June 17, 1852) was an American merchant, shipbuilder, army officer, and statesman from Bath, Maine. A proponent of statehood for Maine, he became its first governor when it separated from Massachusetts in 1820. He was the half-brother of Rufus King, who was a member of the Confederation Congress from Massachusetts, delegate to the Constitutional Convention of 1787, served as United States Senator from New York (from 1789 to 1796 and again from 1813 to 1825), and as Minister Plenipotentiary to the Court of St. James from 1796 to 1803 and again from 1825 to 1826.