David M. Key

David M. Key was a prominent American politician and jurist from Tennessee whose career bridged the American Civil War and the Reconstruction era. A Democrat and former Confederate States Army officer, he was appointed to the United States Senate and later served as United States Postmaster General in the administration of Rutherford B. Hayes as part of the Compromise of 1877. His later service as a federal judge cemented his legacy in Southern legal and political history.

Early life and education

David McKendree Key was born in Greene County, Tennessee, into a family with deep roots in the state. He pursued his education at Hiwassee College, a Methodist institution in Madisonville, Tennessee, where he studied law. Admitted to the Tennessee bar in the 1850s, he established a legal practice in Chattanooga, Tennessee, quickly becoming a respected figure in the local legal community and aligning himself with the Democratic Party politics of the region.

Legal and political career

Prior to the American Civil War, Key was active in local politics and built a successful law practice. With the outbreak of war, he joined the Confederate States Army, serving as a lieutenant colonel in the 43rd Tennessee Infantry. He saw action in several theaters of the conflict, including the Battle of Chickamauga and the Atlanta Campaign. After the war, he returned to Chattanooga, Tennessee, and resumed his legal career, navigating the complexities of the Reconstruction era in Tennessee.

U.S. Senate and Postmaster General

In 1875, the Tennessee General Assembly elected Key to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy left by William G. Brownlow. His tenure in the United States Congress was brief but pivotal. As part of the political settlement known as the Compromise of 1877, which resolved the disputed 1876 United States presidential election, President Rutherford B. Hayes appointed Key to the cabinet post of United States Postmaster General. This appointment of a Southern Democrat and former Confederate was a symbolic gesture of reconciliation towards the Solid South. He served from 1877 to 1880, overseeing the United States Postal Service during a period of significant expansion and reform.

Later judicial service and death

In 1880, President Hayes appointed Key to a dual judgeship on both the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee and the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee. Confirmed by the United States Senate, he served on the federal bench for nearly fifteen years, presiding over cases in the post-Reconstruction American South. He resigned his judicial commission in 1895 and retired to private life in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Key died there in 1900 and was interred in Forest Hills Cemetery. His career exemplified the path of many Southern elites who reintegrated into national political and legal institutions after the American Civil War.

Category:1824 births Category:1900 deaths Category:United States Postmasters General Category:United States federal judges from Tennessee