Top 10 Facts about John Marshall

John Marshall – by Henry Inman – Wikimedia Commons

Top 10 Facts about John Marshall

John Marshall was the fourth chief justice of the United States. He served for 34 years from 1801 until 1835. He was also an American politician who was credited with founding the US system of constitutional law and justice. 

He was christened the ‘great chief justice’ during his tenure in the supreme court. He was very influential especially with other justices in the courts. During his leadership, the courts moved away from seriatim opinions, instead of issuing a single majority opinion that showcased a clear rule.

Here are 10 other interesting facts about John Marshall.

1. Marshall was born in Germantown in the Colony of Virginia in 1755

John Marshall by Supreme Court of the United States – Wikimedia Commons

He was the firstborn of his parents, Thomas Marshall and Mary Randolph Keith. He had 14 siblings namely; Elizabeth (Marshall) Colston, Mary Ann Marshall, Thomas Marshall Jr, James Markham Marshall, Judith (Marshall) Brooke, William Marshall, Charles Marshall, Lucy (Marshall) Ambler, Alexander Keith Marshall, Louis Marshall, Susan Tarleton (Marshall) McClung, Charlotte (Marshall) Duke, Jane (Marshall) Taylor, Nancy Marshall and Rebecca Marshall His father was a politician and soldier, who continued to amass wealth over the years and take care of his family.

2. John was largely self-educated in his childhood

Marshall’s schooling was primarily provided by his parents, supplemented only by the instruction afforded by a visiting clergyman who lived with the family for about a year and by a few months of slightly more formal training at an academy in Westmoreland county.

3. Marshall studied law and was admitted to the Virginia state bar

Portrait of Chief Justice John Marshall – by Alonzo Chappel – Wikimedia Commons

In 1780, he attended Wythe’s lectures on law at William and Mary College. George Wythe was an early advocate of judicial review.

He was then authorized to practise law in August of the same year. He established a law practice in  Fauquier county and made the city his home.

4. Marshall was elected to the United States House of Representatives for just one term

He represented Fauquier County in the General Assembly for one term and served on the Council of State from 1782 to 1784.

Marshall represented Henrico County in the House of Delegates from 1784 to 1787, and in June of 1788 was a delegate to the state convention called to ratify the U.S. Constitution.

5. John Marshall married Mary Ambler in January 1783

The John Marshall statue, located in John Marshall Park,- by Agnostic Preachers Kid – Wikimedia Commons

He met Mary at Richmond, Virginia after he had established his law career there. Theirs was a textbook example of a romance made in the stars. 

Marshall and Mary had ten children, but only six survived to adulthood – five boys and one girl. Their names were; Edward Carrington Marshall, Jaquelin Ambler Marshall, Mary Marshall Harvie, James Keith Marshall and Thomas Marshall.

6. Marshall accepted his appointment as secretary of state in 1800 after declining for the first time

 In May 1800 President Adams requested the resignation of his secretary of war and offered the post to Marshall and again Marshall declined. Adams then dismissed his secretary of state and offered Marshall the vacant position.

In an administration harassed by dissension and with uncertain prospects in the forthcoming election, the appeal of the invitation must have been addressed principally to Marshall’s loyalty. After some initial hesitation, Marshall accepted.

7. John was the longest-serving Chief Justice of the United States

In the same year, 1800 the serving chief justice, Oliver Ellsworth resigned because of ill health. President Adams appointed John Jay who declined, Adams then turned to Marshall, and in January 1801 Adams sent to the Senate the nomination of John Marshall to be chief justice.

He was the longest-serving chief justice for 34 years, and during his tenure, the Supreme Court set forth the main structural lines of the government. His tenure gave an opportunity for the development of a unified body of constitutional doctrine.

8. Marshall dressed distinctly from his other colleagues 

Marshall distinguished himself from his colleagues by wearing a plain black robe, in stark contrast to the scarlet red and ermine (white fur winter coat) robes worn by the other justices.

9. John Marshall helped implement the principle of separation of powers

2005 John Marshall Proof Dollar – Wikimedia Commons

In 1803, one of the major decisions issued by the Marshall Court confirmed the supremacy of the federal government and the federal Constitution over the states.

 In his opinion for the court, Marshall upheld the principle of judicial review, (which can be defined as a process under which executive, legislative and administrative actions are subject to review by the judiciary) This now meant that the courts could strike down federal and state laws if they conflicted with the Constitution.

10. Marshall authored the  biography of George Washington

George Washington was the first president of the United States. He served in the 18th century from 1789 to 1797.

After his appointment to the Supreme Court, Marshall began working on a biography of George Washington.

He did so at the request of his close friend, Associate Justice Bushrod Washington, who had inherited the papers of his uncle. Marshall’s The Life of George Washington, the first biography about a U.S. president ever published, spanned five volumes and just under one thousand pages. 

Marshall died on 6 July 1835, at the age of 79. His legacy is the fact that he led the Supreme Court through six presidential administrations, and was widely considered the most influential jurist in U.S. history. His administration laid the foundations for the Supreme Court’s role as the ultimate interpreter of the Constitution and paved the way for the expansion of the federal government in the 19th and 20th centuries.