Joseph Staunton Key was born in Lagrange, Georgia, on July 18, 1829. Both his father, Caleb W. Key, and grandfather, Joseph Key, were itinerant Methodist preachers. Key converted to Methodism in 1847 and graduated from Emory College in Oxford, Georgia, in 1848. He was received into the Georgia Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South the following year. At the division of the Georgia Conference, Key joined the South Georgia Conference and spent most of his time in the Macon and Columbus Districts. In 1867 Key was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from the University of Georgia. He was elected bishop in 1886 and moved to Sherman, Texas, where he presided over the Texas Annual Conference. Key visited China and Japan in 1892, and made numerous official visits to Mexico. He remained active until his retirement in 1910. Bishop Key died on April 6, 1920 at his home in Sherman, Texas.
Joseph Staunton Key was married twice. He married Susie M. Snyder in 1851. They were married for forty years until her death in 1891. In 1893 Bishop Key married Lucy C. Kidd, a noted educator. He and his second wife founded the Kidd-Key College at Sherman, Texas.
From the description of Joseph Staunton Key sermons 1886-1915. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 145405882
