On August 30, 1865, King wrote an entry in his Civil War journal; “Returned this day to N.Y. and commenced business at my office.”[1] This business was done in affiliation with “Jos. C. Jackson of Newark & Frederic Adams of Orange N.J,” but King would choose to operate his law practice independently.[2] This was yet another telling aspect of King’s character; his determination to create his own status as a lawyer without the aid of others is a characteristic that parallels the transformation he later underwent to ignore the influence of others and create his own opinions and attitudes. King’s practice of law continued until 1871 when he once again left his career behind, but on this occasion to become an associate editor of the New York Star, a primarily democratic newspaper that was quite popular in the city.[3] Two years passed, and in 1873 King accepted a position as an assistant publisher at the Christian Union; its editor was a man who became his lifelong friend, Henry Ward Beecher, a famous American Clergyman and pastor in New York.[4] Finally, in 1877, King became the publisher of another religious newspaper, the Christian at Work.[5] Having held three important positions at three different newspaper companies, King’s inclination towards literature was one that was obvious, though his sudden change to take yet another hiatus from practicing law to accept these positions was an indication that he was not only open to changes in his career but most likely in his personality and attitudes as well.
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Although having experimented with different career options, King was destined to seek a life in relation to his two true passions; the military and politics. Subsequently, King returned to military service in 1878 when he joined the National Guard of New York, being appointed to become the major of the Thirteenth Regiment.[6] Later in 1879, he was appointed to become the judge advocate of the Fourth Brigade, most likely due to his experience in law.[7] Additionally, King was appointed to become the judge advocate of the New York State Guard by Grover Cleveland, the governor of New York at the time and a close friend of King.[8] King’s life in politics began in 1884 while working on the presidential campaign of Cleveland, who would later be elected as the 22nd president of the United States in 1885.[9] Following Cleveland’s campaign, King furthered his political impact as a delegate to Democratic national conventions and as a Brooklyn Board of Education member.[10] King worked diligently with the board until 1894. In 1905, in hopes of continuing to climb the political ladder, King ran as the Democratic candidate for secretary of state in New York in 1905 but lost to John S. Whalen.[11] Similarly, in 1912, King ran for the office of State Controller on the Progressive ticket.[12] On November 15, 1918, King passed away in his Brooklyn home of natural causes and is buried at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York. King was a man whose death was mourned widely, especially by the members of Plymouth Church. Plymouth Church, founded by King’s father-in-law, John Tasker Howard, was the location in which King began his undying commitment to Christianity.[13] Upon his passing, King had been a member of the church for over fifty years and was praised by Beecher’s successor, Dr. Newell Dwight Hillis, a sign of respect for a man who truly embodied the biblical verse of Romans 12:2, which states “do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.”
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