Francis Scott Key Biography: Check His Early Life, Career Highlights, Legacy, and More

Francis Scott Key was a prominent American lawyer, author, and poet. While he is most celebrated for penning the poem that would become "The Star-Spangled Banner," his life encompassed a wide range of professional and personal pursuits. A key figure in the legal circles of Maryland and Washington, D.C., Key's career spanned four decades and included arguing numerous cases before the Supreme Court and serving as District Attorney for the District of Columbia under President Andrew Jackson. Beyond his legal and literary achievements, Key's life was also shaped by his complex relationship with slavery, a system he both participated in and publicly criticized. This biography delves into his early life, career highlights, and the multifaceted legacy he left behind.

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Early Life and Family

Born on August 1, 1779, into an affluent family in Frederick County, Maryland, Francis Scott Key's father, John Ross Key, was a lawyer and a judge. He was the son of Ann Phoebe Dagworthy Charlton. Key grew up on the family plantation, Terra Rubra, and pursued a formal education at St. John's College in Annapolis, Maryland, graduating in 1796. After his studies, he "read law" under the guidance of his uncle, Philip Barton Key. In 1802, he married Mary Tayloe Lloyd, and the couple raised 11 children in their Georgetown residence.

The Creation of 'The Star-Spangled Banner'

The event that would immortalize Key occurred during the War of 1812. In September 1814, Key was aboard a British ship attempting to negotiate the release of a captured friend, Dr. William Beanes. As a result, he was a witness to the 25-hour British bombardment of Fort McHenry in Baltimore. At dawn on September 14, 1814, upon seeing the American flag still flying triumphantly over the fort, he was inspired to write the poem "Defence of Fort McHenry." The poem was set to the tune of a popular British song, "To Anacreon in Heaven," and was soon published. It became widely known as "The Star-Spangled Banner" and, over a century later, was officially adopted as the national anthem of the United States in 1931 by an Act of Congress.

Legal Career and Public Service

Francis Scott Key was a highly respected lawyer for over four decades. He worked on significant cases, including the Burr conspiracy trial, and argued before the Supreme Court multiple times. In 1833, President Andrew Jackson appointed him as the District Attorney for the District of Columbia, a position he held until 1841. In this role, he was involved in prosecuting high-profile cases, such as the 1835 assassination attempt on President Jackson by Richard Lawrence.

A Complex Stance on Slavery

Key's relationship with slavery was contradictory. He owned slaves throughout his life, with records indicating he purchased his first slave around 1800 and owned eight at the time of his death in 1843. He was a leader of the American Colonization Society, an organization that aimed to send free Black Americans to Africa, though many historians note the society's leaders, including Key, were predominantly slave owners and the organization was viewed as an anti-abolitionist effort by some. He publicly criticized the cruelties of the institution and, on occasion, provided free legal representation to some slaves seeking their freedom. However, he also represented slave owners in cases involving runaway slaves. In his role as District Attorney, he actively suppressed abolitionist publications and lost a widely publicized case against Reuben Crandall in 1837, whom he accused of seditious libel for possessing anti-slavery literature. The jury acquitted Crandall, a public defeat that marked a turning point in Key's political ambitions.

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Death and Legacy

Francis Scott Key died from pleurisy on January 11, 1843, in Baltimore, Maryland. He was initially buried in a family vault before his remains were moved to Mount Olivet Cemetery in Frederick, Maryland, where a memorial was erected in his honour. His residence in Georgetown was dismantled in 1947, but his legacy endures through various monuments and memorials. Two bridges were named in his honour: one connecting Rosslyn, Virginia, and Georgetown, and the other, the Francis Scott Key Bridge, in Baltimore's outer harbor, which stood until its collapse in 2024. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970, and his name is commemorated in numerous institutions, including Francis Scott Key Hall at the University of Maryland. F. Scott Fitzgerald, the renowned author, was a distant cousin and namesake of Francis Scott Key.