Rufus King (March 24, 1755-April 29, 1827) was an attorney, politician and a diplomat. He was one of the signers of the Constitution of the United States; a member of the Continental Congress; a diplomat; a U.S. Minister to England; and a U.S. Senator from New York. He also served as an aide to General Sullivan during the Revolutionary War. At 32 years old, Rufus King, a graduate of Harvard, was one of the youngest delegates at the Constitutional Convention.
In a speech made before the Senate at the time Missouri was petitioning for statehood, Rufus King stated:
<I hold that all laws or compacts imposing any such condition [as involuntary servitude] upon any human being are absolutely void because contrary to the law of nature, which is the law of God.> 1755RK001
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American Quotations by William J. Federer, 2024, All Rights Reserved, Permission granted to use with acknowledgement.
Endnotes:
1755RK001. William J. Federer, American Quotations (2014). Rufus King. M.E. Bradford, A Worthy Company (Marlborough, NH: Plymouth Rock Foundation, 1982), p. 15. Tim LaHaye, Faith of Our Founding Fathers (Brentwood, TN: Wolgemuth & Hyatt, Publishers, Inc., 1987), p. 161.