David McKendree Key (January 27, 1824 – February 3, 1900) was a

United States senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...

from

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

United States Postmaster General The United States Postmaster General (PMG) is the chief executive officer of the United States Postal Service (USPS). The PMG is responsible for managing and directing the day-to-day operations of the agency. The PMG is selected and appointed by ...

and a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the United States federal judiciary, U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each United States federal judicial district, federal judicial district, which each cover o ...

of the

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee (in case citations, E.D. Tenn.) is the federal court in the Sixth Circuit whose jurisdiction covers most of East Tennessee and a portion of Middle Tennessee. The court has jur ...

and the

United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee The United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee (in case citations, M.D. Tenn.) is the federal trial court for most of Middle Tennessee. Based at the Estes Kefauver Federal Building and United States Courthouse in Nashville ...

Education and career

Born on January 27, 1824, near Greeneville, in Greene County,

, Key attended the common schools, then graduated from

Hiwassee College Hiwassee College was a private liberal arts college in Madisonville, Tennessee. Founded in 1849, the college offered associate degrees as well as bachelor's degrees. The majority of its associate degree graduates went on to complete bachelor's ...

in 1850 and

read law Reading law was the method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship under the ...

the same year. He received an Artium Magister degree from East Tennessee University (now the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state, ...

). He was admitted to the bar and entered private practice in Madisonville, Tennessee from 1850 to 1852. He continued private practice in Kingston, Tennessee from 1852 to 1853, and in

Chattanooga Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, ...

, Tennessee from 1853 to 1861. He was a Presidential Elector on the Democratic ticket in 1856 and 1860. He served in the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

from 1861 to 1865, during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

and was promoted to lieutenant colonel of the Forty-third Tennessee Infantry. He resumed private practice in Chattanooga from 1865 to 1880. He was a member of the Tennessee constitutional convention in 1870. He was Chancellor for the Tennessee Chancery Court for the Third Judicial District from 1870 to 1875. He was an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for election to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

of the

43rd United States Congress The 43rd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1873, ...

Congressional service

Key was appointed as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

to fill the vacancy caused by the death of former

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

and

United States Senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...

Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. He assumed the presidency as he was vice president at the time of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a Dem ...

and served from August 18, 1875, to January 19, 1877. He was an unsuccessful candidate for election to fill the vacancy in 1876.

Postmaster General

Key served as

Postmaster General of the United States The United States Postmaster General (PMG) is the chief executive officer of the United States Postal Service (USPS). The PMG is responsible for managing and directing the day-to-day operations of the agency. The PMG is selected and appointed by ...

in the cabinet of President

Rutherford B. Hayes Rutherford Birchard Hayes (; October 4, 1822 – January 17, 1893) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 19th president of the United States from 1877 to 1881, after serving in the U.S. House of Representatives and as governor ...

from 1877 to 1880. The only Democrat in Hayes' cabinet, his appointment was in part due to the terms of the

Compromise of 1877 The Compromise of 1877, also known as the Wormley Agreement or the Bargain of 1877, was an unwritten deal, informally arranged among members of the United States Congress, to settle the intensely disputed 1876 presidential election between Ruth ...

Federal judicial service

Key was nominated by President

on May 19, 1880, to a joint seat on the

and the

vacated by Judge

Connally Findlay Trigg Connally Findlay Trigg (September 18, 1847 – April 23, 1907) was a United States Congressman from Virginia and a Confederate soldier during the American Civil War. He was born in Abingdon, the county seat of Washington County, Virginia. He at ...

. He was confirmed by the

on May 27, 1880, and received his commission the same day. His service terminated on January 21, 1895, due to his retirement.

Death

Key died on February 3, 1900, in Chattanooga. He was interred in Forest Hill Cemetery in Chattanooga.

References

Sources

* * *

Goodspeed Publishing Goodspeed Publishing was established by Westin Arthur Goodspeed (1852-1926) in the late 19th century and was based in Nashville, Tennessee, St Louis, Missouri and Chicago, Illinois. By the early 1880s Goodspeed had found success with a series of ...

, ''History of East Tennessee, Hamilton County.'' (1887) * ''Dictionary of American Biography'' * Abshire, David. ''The South Rejects a Prophet: The Life of David Key.'' New York: F.A. Praeger, 1967. * Murrin, John M. ''Liberty, Equality, Power.'' Fourth Edition. Australia: Thomson Wadsworth, 2005. {{DEFAULTSORT:Key, David M. 1824 births 1900 deaths Confederate States Army officers United States Postmasters General Judges of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee Judges of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee People of Tennessee in the American Civil War People from Greene County, Tennessee Politicians from Chattanooga, Tennessee United States federal judges appointed by Rutherford B. Hayes 19th-century American judges Democratic Party United States senators from Tennessee Tennessee Democrats Hayes administration cabinet members 19th-century American politicians United States federal judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law People from Monroe County, Tennessee