Key, Francis Scott

Key, Francis Scott

(1779–1843) lawyer, poet; born in Carroll County, Md. He began practicing law in 1801 and soon became a successful attorney in Georgetown, D.C. After witnessing the British attack on Fort Henry, Baltimore, in 1814—while being held in custody by the British on a boat offshore—he wrote a set of verses describing the event. Wildly popular, his lines were matched to an English tavern tune to create "The Star Spangled Banner," the unofficial national anthem until Congress formally adopted it in 1931. Key, who wrote little other poetry of note, was U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia from 1833–41.

The Cambridge Dictionary of American Biography, by John S. Bowman. Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995. Reproduced with permission.