Thomas Marshall Key (August 8, 1819 – January 15, 1869) was an American politician.
Early life and education
Key was the son of Marshall Key, a connection of
Chief Justice Marshall
John Marshall (September 24, 1755July 6, 1835) was an American politician and lawyer who served as the fourth Chief Justice of the United States from 1801 until his death in 1835. He remains the longest-serving chief justice and fourth-longes ...
, and was born in
Mason County, Kentucky
Mason County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. Its county seat is Maysville. The county was created from Bourbon County, Virginia in 1788 and named for George Mason, a Virginia delegate to the U.S. Constitutional Convention kn ...
on August 8, 1819.
He graduated from
Augusta College in Kentucky, and entered
Yale College
Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...
where he graduated in 1838.
Career
Key went to
Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
after graduation and began practice of the law, as partner of
Alphonso Taft
Alphonso Taft (November 5, 1810 – May 21, 1891) was an American jurist, diplomat, politician, United States Attorney General, Attorney General and United States Secretary of War, Secretary of War under President of the United States, President U ...
and
William M. Dickson in April 1854.
In 1848 the Commercial Court of Cincinnati was established, of which he served as Judge for five years. He resumed practice of law in 1853, and continued in it, in partnership and alone, until the outbreak of 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 ...
.
In 1858, Key was elected a member of the
Ohio State Senate
The Ohio Senate is the upper house of the Ohio General Assembly. The State Senate, which meets in the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, first convened in 1803. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such that half of the se ...
on the
Democratic ticket. While still a state Senator, the
attack on Fort Sumter occurred. Judge Key took an active and controlling part in securing unanimous action in the
Ohio Legislature
The Ohio General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio. It consists of the 99-member Ohio House of Representatives and the 33-member Ohio Senate. Both houses of the General Assembly meet at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus ...
for the support of the National Government. In this he was brought into contact with General
McClellan, becoming Judge Advocate on his staff with the rank of Colonel, and received in an unusual degree the confidence of his commander. He remained in this position while General McClellan continued in command. While stationed in Washington, he drafted, and
promoted the passage of,
the bill abolishing slavery in the District of Columbia. When McClellan was removed, Key returned to the labors of his profession in Cincinnati.
Marriage, health issues, death
Key was married, June, 1858, to Mrs. Elizabeth B. Boylan. He contracted pulmonary disease under the exposure of the
Chickahominy and
Antietam
The Battle of Antietam (), or Battle of Sharpsburg particularly in the Southern United States, was a battle of the American Civil War fought on September 17, 1862, between Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia and Union ...
campaigns, and was never well afterward. He died at
Lebanon, Ohio
Lebanon is a city in and the county seat of Warren County, Ohio, United States. The population was 20,841 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Cincinnati metropolitan area.
History
Lebanon is in the Symmes Purchase. The first European settler ...
on January 15, 1869.
References
Further reading
*
External links
*
The Civil War: Gen. McClellan & Col. Key C-SPAN ("Author William Styple discusses Gen. George McClellan’s working relationship with staff officer, Col. Thomas Key").
{{DEFAULTSORT:Key, Thomas Marshall
1819 births
1869 deaths
Augusta College (Kentucky) alumni
Yale College alumni
Ohio lawyers
Democratic Party Ohio state senators
Union Army colonels
19th-century American politicians
19th-century American lawyers