John Alexander Key (December 30, 1871 – March 4, 1954) was an American politician who served as a

U.S. representative 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

for three terms from 1913 to 1919.

Early life and career

Born in

Marion, Ohio Marion is a city in and the county seat of Marion County, Ohio, Marion County, Ohio, United States. The municipality is located in north-central Ohio, approximately north of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus. The population was 35,999 at the 2020 United S ...

, Key attended the public schools. He learned the printer's trade. He was a city letter carrier from 1897 to 1903. He was Recorder of Marion County from 1903 to 1908. He was Secretary to Representative Carl C. Anderson, of Ohio from 1908 to 1912.

Congress

Key was elected 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 Sixty-third, Sixty-fourth, and Sixty-fifth Congresses (March 4, 1913 – March 3, 1919). He served as chairman of the Committee on Pensions (Sixty-third through Sixty-fifth Congresses). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1918 to the Sixty-sixth Congress.

Later career and death

He engaged in the

petroleum industry The petroleum industry, also known as the oil industry or the oil patch, includes the global processes of exploration, extraction, refining, transportation (often by oil tankers and pipelines), and marketing of petroleum products. The larges ...

. He served as inspector of Federal prisons from 1934 until his retirement in 1941.

Death

He died in

, March 4, 1954. He was interred in Marion Cemetery.

Sources

1871 births 1954 deaths People from Marion, Ohio Ohio lawyers Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio {{Ohio-Representative-stub