David M. Key
Encyclopedia
David McKendree Key was a Democratic
U.S. Senator
from Tennessee
from 1875 to 1877 as well as the U.S. Postmaster General
under President Hayes.
in 1850. He selected the legal profession as his vocation through life, and the same year of his graduation was admitted to the bar
. He practiced law
for two years at Madisonville
, then worked for a short time in Kingston
. He moved to Chattanooga
in February 1853. He married Elizabeth Lenoir in 1857, and fathered nine children.
When the Civil War broke out, Key enlisted in the Forty-third Confederate
Tennessee Regiment of Infantry, served until the close of the war, and was mustered out as a lieutenant colonel
. He then resumed the practice of law until 1868.
Key was a member of the Tennessee state constitutional convention
of 1870, which composed the basic instrument of government of the state still in effect, and in August of the same year was elected chancellor of the Chattanooga (3rd) division. He maintained his chancellorship during an unsuccessful campaign for the U.S. House
in 1872, but resigned in 1875 to accept the appointment by Tennessee Governor James D. Porter
to the vacant Senate seat created by the death of Andrew Johnson
.
Defeated in the next senate election in the Tennessee General Assembly
, Key was appointed Postmaster General
in 1877 by President Hayes, and served until August 25, 1880. His appointment as Postmaster General was part of the Compromise of 1877
, implemented to ensure there was Democratic power in the Republican cabinet. Key's work as Postmaster General is harshly criticized by Mark Twain
in The Autobiography of Mark Twain. He later accepted appointment as a federal judge
for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee
and the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee
. He died in Chattanooga in 1900 and is buried there.
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
U.S. Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
from Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
from 1875 to 1877 as well as the U.S. Postmaster General
United States Postmaster General
The United States Postmaster General is the Chief Executive Officer of the United States Postal Service. The office, in one form or another, is older than both the United States Constitution and the United States Declaration of Independence...
under President Hayes.
Biography
Key was born in Greene County, Tennessee, the son of Reverend John and Margaret (Armitage) Key. In 1826 the family moved to Monroe County where Key was reared, graduating from Hiwassee CollegeHiwassee College
Hiwassee College is a private, accredited college located in Madisonville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1849, the college offers associate degrees as well as four year degrees, The majority of its associate degree graduates go on to attend, and complete, four-year...
in 1850. He selected the legal profession as his vocation through life, and the same year of his graduation was admitted to the bar
Bar (law)
Bar in a legal context has three possible meanings: the division of a courtroom between its working and public areas; the process of qualifying to practice law; and the legal profession.-Courtroom division:...
. He practiced law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
for two years at Madisonville
Madisonville, Tennessee
Madisonville is a city in Monroe County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 3,939 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Monroe County and the location of Hiwassee College.-Geography:...
, then worked for a short time in Kingston
Kingston, Tennessee
Kingston is a city in and the county seat of Roane County, Tennessee, United States, and is adjacent to Watts Bar Lake. Kingston, with a population of 5,264 at the 2000 United States census, is included in the Harriman, Tennessee Micropolitan Statistical Area....
. He moved to Chattanooga
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga is the fourth-largest city in the US state of Tennessee , with a population of 169,887. It is the seat of Hamilton County...
in February 1853. He married Elizabeth Lenoir in 1857, and fathered nine children.
When the Civil War broke out, Key enlisted in the Forty-third Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
Tennessee Regiment of Infantry, served until the close of the war, and was mustered out as a lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...
. He then resumed the practice of law until 1868.
Key was a member of the Tennessee state constitutional convention
Tennessee State Constitution
The Constitution of the State of Tennessee defines the form, structure, activities, character, and fundamental rules of the U.S. State of Tennessee....
of 1870, which composed the basic instrument of government of the state still in effect, and in August of the same year was elected chancellor of the Chattanooga (3rd) division. He maintained his chancellorship during an unsuccessful campaign for the U.S. House
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
in 1872, but resigned in 1875 to accept the appointment by Tennessee Governor James D. Porter
James D. Porter, Jr.
James Davis Porter was governor of the U.S. state of Tennessee from 1875 to 1879.-Biography:A native of Paris, Tennessee, Porter graduated from the former University of Nashville at age 18. He was elected to the Tennessee General Assembly in 1859. When the American Civil War loomed, Porter sided...
to the vacant Senate seat created by the death of Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson was the 17th President of the United States . As Vice-President of the United States in 1865, he succeeded Abraham Lincoln following the latter's assassination. Johnson then presided over the initial and contentious Reconstruction era of the United States following the American...
.
Defeated in the next senate election in the Tennessee General Assembly
Tennessee General Assembly
The Tennessee General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee.-Constitutional structure:According to the Tennessee State Constitution of 1870, the General Assembly is a bicameral legislature and consists of a Senate of thirty-three members and a House of Representatives of...
, Key was appointed Postmaster General
United States Postmaster General
The United States Postmaster General is the Chief Executive Officer of the United States Postal Service. The office, in one form or another, is older than both the United States Constitution and the United States Declaration of Independence...
in 1877 by President Hayes, and served until August 25, 1880. His appointment as Postmaster General was part of the Compromise of 1877
Compromise of 1877
The Compromise of 1877, also known as the Corrupt Bargain, refers to a purported informal, unwritten deal that settled the disputed 1876 U.S. Presidential election and ended Congressional Reconstruction. Through it, Republican Rutherford B. Hayes was awarded the White House over Democrat Samuel J...
, implemented to ensure there was Democratic power in the Republican cabinet. Key's work as Postmaster General is harshly criticized by Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
in The Autobiography of Mark Twain. He later accepted appointment as a federal judge
Federal judge
Federal judges are judges appointed by a federal level of government as opposed to the state / provincial / local level.-Brazil:In Brazil, federal judges of first instance are chosen exclusively by public contest...
for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee is the federal court in the Sixth Circuit whose jurisdiction covers all of East Tennessee and a portion of Middle Tennessee. The court has jurisdiction over 41 counties with 4 divisions...
and the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee
United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee
The United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee is the federal trial court for most of Middle Tennessee. Based in Nashville, it was created in 1839 when Congress added a third district to the state...
. He died in Chattanooga in 1900 and is buried there.