1811 Autograph Letter Signed by Philip Barton Key, Revolutionary Loyalist, Federal Judge, Congressman, and Lawyer.

A successful court case in Maryland, an expected appeal

---

Brief autograph letter signed by lawyer Philip Barton Key concerning “…the case of Mandeville against Thomas Moore…” and an expected legal appeal. Key writes to Henry Thompson Esq. informing him that “…we have lawfully succeeded; the court having decided in our favor”

Philip Barton Key (1757–1815) was the son a prominent Annapolis, Maryland attorney. Key served with British forces during the American Revolution and, after being captured and paroled, went to London to study law. Returning to Maryland in 1785, he was admitted to the bar and became a Federalist politician. He was elected to Congress for three terms, serving from 1807 to 1813.

Key’s nephew, Francis Scott Key, author of The Star Spangled Banner, joined him in his law practice just about the time Philip stepped down from a federal judgeship. Key’s most famous legal case was defending U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Chase in the latter’s impeachment and trial in the Senate in 1805.

Sold