Francis Key Pendleton (January 1, 1850 – July 26, 1930) was an American lawyer and judge who was prominent in New York society during the Gilded Age. He was a justice of the Supreme Court of New York.
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Early life
Pendleton, known as Frank, was born on January 1, 1850 in Clifton, Ohio (now part of Cincinnati). He was the son of George Hunt Pendleton and Mary Alicia (née Key) Pendleton. Among his siblings were Sarah Pendleton, who was born in Ireland, Mary Lloyd Pendleton, Jane Francis Pendleton, and George Hunt Pendleton Jr., who died young. His father, a former president of the Kentucky Central Railroad, served as the U.S. Minister to Germany, a U.S. Representative, and the U.S. Senator for Ohio, where he was chair of the Senate Democratic Caucus.
Pendleton's maternal grandfather was Francis Scott Key, best known today for writing a poem which later became the lyrics for "The Star-Spangled Banner". His paternal grandfather was U.S. Representative Nathanael Greene Pendleton.
Pendleton prepared for college with Eugene F. Bliss in Cincinnati. He attended Harvard College, graduating in 1870. While at Harverd, he was member of Delta Kappa Epsilon. After spending three years abroad studying French and German, he attended Harvard Law School in 1875.