John Marshall Day

On 4 February 1901 the General Assembly observed John Marshall Day. Adolph Moses of the Chicago Bar Association first introduced the idea, which quickly garnered support from the Illinois State and American Bar Associations. The Richmond and Virginia Bar Associations brought this request to the General Assembly, which passed a resolution commemorating the one-hundredth anniversary of Marshall's appointment as chief justice of the Supreme Court.

John Marshall, born in 1755 in Fauquier County, was the son of Thomas Marshall, a successful planter and land speculator, and Mary Randolph Keith, a member of the prominent Randolph family. He attended school for only two years as a youth, and his father served as his chief tutor. While on furlough during the American Revolution, he studied law under the College of William and Mary's venerable law professor, George Wythe. Marshall obtained his law license after just a few months of training and soon began a profitable practice. He continued to educate himself throughout his career without any additional professional instruction.

A loyal Federalist, Marshall served in the Virginia General Assembly, in the United States Congress, and as secretary of state under John Adams, before accepting the role of chief justice of the Supreme Court in 1801. Marshall is credited with strengthening the power of the federal courts through the use of judicial review. Judicial review authorizes the Supreme Court to interpret and safeguard the Constitution, striking down laws considered unconstitutional. This concept first found use in the famous case, Marbury v. Madison.

In addition to his service of thirty-four years as chief justice, Marshall also maintained a lively personal life. He married Mary Willis Ambler in 1783, and the two had six children who survived until adulthood. Marshall enjoyed playing quoits and backgammon, and he bet heavily on horse-races and cards. When appointed the first president of the Virginia Historical Society in 1831, he presented a copy of the biography he had written of George Washington to the organization. The book is still a part of the society's collection. Marshall died in 1835.