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

United States senator 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 po ...

from

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 36th-largest by ...

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 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 ju ...

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 Nashvill ...

Education and career

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

, Key attended the common schools, then graduated from Hiwassee College 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 t ...

the same year. He received an

Artium Magister A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

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 sta ...

). 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 Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...

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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

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 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 po ...

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 Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal gove ...

and

United States Senator 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 po ...

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 De ...

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 governo ...

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. 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, ''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