John Stafford Smith

John Stafford Smith
Portrait of Smith after William Behnes, 1822
Born	Gloucester, England
Baptized	(1750-03-30)30 March 1750
Died	21 September 1836(1836-09-21) (aged 86) London, England
Occupations	Composer church organist musicologist
Known for	Composed "The Anacreontic Song", later adopted as the tune of the national anthem of the United States

John Stafford Smith (bapt. 30 March 1750 – 21 September 1836) was a British composer, church organist, and early musicologist. He was one of the first serious collectors of manuscripts of works by Johann Sebastian Bach.

Smith is best known for writing the music for "The Anacreontic Song", which became the tune for the American patriotic song "The Star-Spangled Banner" following the War of 1812, and in 1931 was adopted as the national anthem of the United States.