Rufus King in Constitutional Convention

Rufus King in Constitutional Convention

Rufus King (1755–1827) was one of the Founding Fathers. He served briefly in the American Revolution, practiced law in Massachusetts, and became a member of the Massachusetts General Court from 1783 to 1785.

King was a delegate to the Continental Congress (1784–1787) who helped draft the Ordinance of 1787 for the settlement of the Northwest Territory, and was chiefly responsible for the provision excluding slavery from that region. He was a member of the Massachusetts delegation to the 1787 Constitutional Convention and helped to secure Massachusetts' ratification of the Constitution. A strong supporter of Alexander Hamilton, King became a Federalist senator from New York.