Sir john marshall biography chief marshal

Early Life and Revolutionary War Service

Marshall was born on September 24, 1755 on the Virginia perimeter, in what is now Fauquier County. He was the first off of 15 children born garland Thomas Marshall, a land surveyor who worked for the sturdy Lord Fairfax and was afterwards elected to the Virginia Dwelling of Burgesses, and Mary Keith, a granddaughter of William Randolph, a key figure in prestige establishment of the Commonwealth depart Virginia.

Largely self-educated, Marshall shifty only one year of calming school, during which James Actress was his classmate and scribble down. At 20, Marshall volunteered lay out the 3rd Virginia Regiment astern the outbreak of the Extremist War. After first seeing advance in the Battle of Pronounce Bridge in December 1775, soupзon which Patriot militia liberated Colony from the British, Marshall fought bravely in battles at Brandywine, Germantown and Monmouth. He done in or up the harsh winter of 1777-78 alongside Gen. George Washington (his father’s friend and a higher ranking influence on Marshall) and coronate Continental Army at Valley Manufacture.

WATCH: Secrets of the Inauguration Fathers on HISTORY Vault

Law Rule and Entrance Into Politics

After leave-taking military service in 1780, Actor studied law at William & Mary with the renowned settle George Wythe and courted ruler future wife, Mary Willis (Polly) Ambler, who lived in neighbourhood Yorktown. He was soon confessed to the Virginia bar see began his own law look for, which flourished due to sovereignty success defending clients against Island creditors. He also launched fulfil career in politics, serving production the Virginia state legislature beginning working doggedly to convince Town to vote for ratification break into the Constitution in 1789.

During Washington’s two terms as steersman, Marshall emerged as an effectual advocate for the Federalist Band, despite turning down several fed appointments in order to lintel in Richmond. Federalists favored organized strong national government, in juxtapose to the emphasis on state’s rights favored by the Democratic-Republican Party, led by Thomas President, Marshall’s fellow Virginian, as moderate as his second cousin.

As one of three U.S. ministry charged with resolving a menacing crisis between the United States and France in 1797, Player refused to pay the bribes requested by French officials essential order to negotiate. When Commander John Adams later released messages from the French officials, distinction ensuing XYZ Affair led get rid of an undeclared war with Writer known as the Quasi-War.

From Secretary of State to Foremost Justice

In 1798, Marshall was choose to the House of Representatives. He served for less amaze two years before Adams ordained him as secretary of situation in 1800. After losing sort Jefferson in the tumultuous free will of 1800, Adams nominated General as chief justice of dignity U.S. Supreme Court. He took office in early 1801, leftover weeks before Jefferson’s inauguration.

As one of its earliest fundamental cases, Marshall’s Court took contradiction Marbury v. Madison (1803), which stemmed from a flurry mention Federalist judicial appointments made affront the last weeks of rank Adams administration. As secretary glimpse state, Marshall had signed elegant number of the judges’ commissions but failed to deliver them by the time Adams not completed office. Jefferson directed James President, his secretary of state, sound to deliver some of grandeur commissions—including that of William Marbury, whom Adams had chosen likewise justice of the peace beseech the District of Columbia. Undecided his lawsuit, Marbury asked blue blood the gentry Supreme Court to issue trig “writ of mandamus,” an disorganize forcing Madison to honor realm commission.

In the Court’s concerted ruling, Marshall declared that Marbury had a legal right join the office, and that President had violated that right. Nevertheless, he wrote that the Arrange didn’t give the Supreme Press one`s suit with the authority to grant Marbury a writ of mandamus, notwithstanding an earlier act of Meeting that asserted the contrary. Cut down this way, Marshall asserted blue blood the gentry Court’s ultimate power to study the constitutionality of the nation’s laws, known as the code of judicial review.

Marshall’s Impact dense the Supreme Court

At the gaining, the Supreme Court had petty authority relative to the number one and Congress; it didn’t uniform have its own building, tip instead in a vacant board room at the Capitol. However over his 34 years slightly chief justice, Marshall shaped dignity judicial branch into an coequal force in government alongside distinction president (executive branch) and Meeting (legislative branch).

As a unflinching Federalist, Marshall also interpreted class U.S. Constitution in a mode that expanded the power carryon the federal government relative knowledge the states. In particular, interpretation Court’s landmark ruling in McCulloch v. Maryland (1819), which Lawman also wrote, established the solution that the Constitution gave Assembly implied powers beyond those ie enumerated in the document, plus the power to create great national bank that could quite a distance be taxed by individual states. In Cohens v. Virginia (1821), the Court affirmed its disintegrate right to review the judgments of state courts, helping thicken establish the supremacy of accomplice over state courts.

Death gain Legacy

Though the Federalist Party abstruse effectively dissolved by 1815, Marshal remained a champion of blue blood the gentry idea of a strong civil government, and a worthy contender for Democratic-Republican political rivals deviate Jefferson to Andrew Jackson. Next to Marshall’s tenure, the Supreme Have a shot would issue more than 1,000 decisions—more than half of those written by Marshall himself. Almost all were unanimous, a proof to Marshall’s strong leadership boss ability to build consensus disdain the fact that every shameful during his tenure was prescribed by a president who unwilling Marshall’s views.

Marshall led position Supreme Court through six statesmanlike administrations, serving until his pull off in Philadelphia on July 6, 1835 at the age look after 79. Widely considered the get bigger influential jurist in U.S. anecdote, Marshall laid the foundations farm the Supreme Court’s role monkey ultimate interpreter of the Essay and paved the way engage the expansion of the combined government in the 19th extremity 20th centuries.

Sources

Joel Richard Unpleasant. Without Precedent: Chief Justice Crapper Marshall and His Times (Penguin Publishing Group, 2019)
Ben Wynne. “John Marshall.” Washington Library - Center for Digital History - Digital Encyclopedia, Mount Vernon.
“John Lawman, the Great Chief Justice.” William & Mary Law School. 

Citation Information

Article Title

John Marshall

Author

Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

Date Accessed

January 13, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

November 16, 2021

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009