Francis Scott Key (1779 - 1843)
"Then, in that hour of deliverance, my heart spoke. Does not such a country, and such defenders of their country, deserve a song?..."
Francis Scott Key, son of an established Maryland family, was
born on August 1, 1779, in western Maryland (Frederick, MD) on the
family estate of "Terra Rubra." He attended grammar school and later
graduated from St. Johns College in Annapolis at age 17.
By 1805, Key had established a law practice in Georgetown,
Maryland, and, by 1814, had appeared many times before the U.S.
Supreme Court. The site of his house on M Street is now a memorial park.
Key was a religious man and was involved in the Episcopal
church. Although opposed to the war, he served for a brief period in the
Georgetown Light Field Artillery (1813-14). During the Battle of
Bladensburg, Key assigned field positions to American troops - a duty he
had no expertise in!
In August 1814, Key's friend Dr. William Beanes was taken
prisoner by the British army soon after its departure from Washington. Key
left for Baltimore to obtain the services of Colonel John Skinner, the government's prisoner of war exchange agent.
Together they sailed down the bay on a truce ship and met the British fleet. Key successfully negotiated the doctor's
release, but was detained with Skinner and Beanes by the British until after the attack on Baltimore.
Key's vessel (name unknown) was 8 miles below the fort during the bombardment, under the watchful care
of a British warship. It was from this site that he witnessed the British attack on Fort McHenry, after which he was
inspired to write the words to "The Star-Spangled Banner."
After the war, Key served as a United States District Attorney and continued his association with the
Episcopal church, writing several hymns. On January 11, 1843, he died of pleurisy while visiting his sister in
Baltimore. Today he rests in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Frederick, Maryland. The flag he so honored flies day and
night here, and at Fort McHenry, as a reminder of those events in September 1814 that gave birth to our anthem and
pride in our nation. (Note: There are also local monuments to Key at Fort McHenry, on Eutaw Place in Baltimore,
and at the Presidio in San Francisco, California.)
Key was the brother-in-law of Roger Brooke Taney who served as Chief Justice and administered the oath
of office to Lincoln in 1861.
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