Rufus Henry King was born in Ridgefield, Connecticut, in 1794, the son of General Joshua King, a merchant and militia leader who was noted for having discovered the identity of Major Andre. Rufus set out to make his own fortune, moving to Albany to set up a dry goods store with his brother-in-law in 1814. His success in business led him into banking, in an age when local banks were vital to the growth and prosperity of the community. King became a director of the New York State National Bank, and became its president in 1860, devoting himself entirely to banking and gaining a statewide reputation. He became president of Albany Savings Bank in 1863, and also was president of the Albany Insurance Company, the oldest fire insurance company in the state. (If it seems odd to modern sensibilities that he presided over multiple companies, consider that his predecessor and successor at State National Bank both served as Mayor of Albany while running the bank.) Cuyler Reynolds' genealogy of the King family captures the intimate relationship between banking, business and politics at the time: "The remarkable success of these three institutions speaks all that is necessary regarding his power as an executive. It has been said that financial officers of the state were accustomed to avail themselves of his knowledge and judgment as to time and character of loans, and he was always cheerful about giving advice which saved hundreds of thousands of dollars to the state's treasury." King was a lifelong friend and advisor of Thurlow Weed, the prominent Albany newspaper publisher and political leader who was a force in the Whig, Anti-Masonic and Republican parties. Rufus King and his wife Amelia Laverty King had three sons, Henry Laverty, Joshua Howard, and Rufus Howard, and daughter Anna Josephine. All three sons attended Albany Academy and Union College. J. Howard King distinguished himself in the banking world, following squarely in his father's footsteps, becoming president of the New York State National Bank, Albany Savings Bank, and Albany Insurance Company. Like his father, he had political friends (including Union classmate Chester Alan Arthur), but no political ambitions. Young Rufus also joined the banks and insurance company, and served as paymaster-general to the Army of the Potomac. [from All Over Albany]