Francis Scott Key(1779-1843)

Francis Scott Key was born to Ann Phoebe Penn Dogworthy and Captain James Ross Key at the family plantation Terra Rubra on August 1, 1779 in Frederick, Maryland. His father was a lawyer, judge, and officer in the Continental Army and his great grandparents Philip Key and Susanna Barton Gardiner where both born in England and immigrated to America in 1726. Francis graduated from St. John's College in Annapolis in 1796. During the War of 1812 Key was on board the British ship HMS Tomnant; he witnessed the bombarding of Fort McHenry during the Battle of Baltimore on the night of September 13-14, 1814. When the smoke cleared Francis saw an American flag still waving and was inspired to write the poem "The Defense of Fort McHenry." This poem was first published in the Patriot on September 20, 1814. It was subsequently set to the melody of composer John Stafford Smith's composition "To Anacreon in Heaven" and has gone on to be internationally known as "The Star-Spangled Banner." "The Star-Spangled Banner" was adopted as the American anthem by President Woodrow Wilson in 1916 and further confirmed as such by a Congressional resolution signed by President Herbert Hoover in 1931. Moreover, the stanza "In God is Our Trust" was adopted as the national motto by law in 1956. From 1817 to 1843 Key served as the Vice President of the American Bible Society. In 1832 he served as the attorney for Congressman Sam Houston during his trial in the U.S. House of Representatives for assaulting another Congressman. Francis published a prose work entitled "The Power of Literature and Its Connection to Religion" in 1834. In 1835 Francis prosecuted Richard Lawrence for his unsuccessful attempt at assassinating President Andrew Jackson. He was married to Mary "Polly" Tayloe Lloyd and was the father of nine children. Key died of pleurisy at age 63 on January 11, 1843 in Baltimore, Maryland.