The Life of John Marshall, Vol. 3

by Albert J. Beveridge

John Marshall (1755-1835) became the fourth chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court despite having had almost no formal schooling and after having studied law for a mere six weeks. Nevertheless, Marshall remains the only judge in American history whose distinction derives almost entirely from his judicial career. During Marshall's nearly 35-year tenure as chief justice, he wielded the Constitution's awe-inspiring power aggressively and wisely, setting the Supreme Court on a course for the ages by ensuring its equal position in the triumvirate of the federal government of the United States and securing its role as interpreter and enforcer of the Constitution. Marshall's judicial energies were as unflagging as his vision was expansive. This four-volume life of Marshall received wide acclaim upon its initial publication in 1920, winning the Pulitzer Prize that year, and makes fascinating reading for the lawyer, historian, and legal scholar.

Genres: Biography

700 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1919

About the author

Albert Jeremiah Beveridge (October 6, 1862 – April 27, 1927) was an American historian and United States Senator from Indiana. He was an intellectual leader of the Progressive Era, and a biographer of justice John Marshall and President Abraham Lincoln.

(wikipedia)

Reviews

[Dave Carroll · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the Supreme Court Asserts its Co-Equality

On this #thirdvolume of #thelifeofjohnmarshall , historian #albertjbeveridge focuses on the effort of #chiefjustice #johnmarshall to bring the #supremecourt out from under the thumbs of the #executive and #legislative branches of the #unitedstatesgovernment . Both Congress and #presidentthomasjefferson , solidly under control of the #democraticrepublican parties were driven to reign in the powers of the #federalist Supreme Court, exemplified in the staunch Federalist John Marshall who was appointed to Chief Justice by outgoing President #johnadams with whom Jefferson had become a political enemy. As both branches thought they could reign in the extraordinary power of the Court, exemplified in their prosecutions of the #alienandseditionact , an extremely controversial set of laws passed by the Federalists that attempted to punish politicians and newspapers for unflattering comments and coverage of the government, particularly the President. Jefferson had used these onerous laws as a platform for his defeat of Adams and, cornerstone to that vengeance was asserting authority over the courts and Jefferson's nemesis, fellow Virginian John Marshall.

Covering the impeachment of Justice Samuel Chase, the saga-like trial of former #vicepresident #aaronburr and ending with the case regarding, #georgia #landspeculation and violations of the #constitutional #contractclause , Marshall's rulings on these important cases in America's formative years established the Court's ability to assert it's Co-Equality and, thus, an eternal frustration to partisan opposition.

#beveridge is an extremely thorough historian as well as an excellent writer. At first daunted by the idea of trying to tackle a four volume work on a seemingly obscure Supreme Court Justice, Beveridge has told.am extremely compelling story, clearly demonstrating why he won the 1920 #pulitzerprizeforbiography with this massive work. I am looking forward to Volume Four.
#readtheworldchallenge #americanhistory #globalreadingchallenge #readtheworld #pulitzerprizereadingchallenge

[John Hively · Rating 4 out of 5]

Albert J. Beveridge wrote the best book ever on the life of former Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall. It is not a balance point of view. Thomas Jefferson is the bad guy, and Marshall is the good guy. Still, this is a way better biography than any written by modern authors. Beveridge brings Marshall and his times to life. The place where Beveridge and the other Marshall loving biographers go wrong is they assume that Marshall was the Federalist and Jefferson was the states rights supporter. This is true, but it is not the whole story. Jefferson was a child of the Enlightenment, a disciple of John Locke, David Hume, and Adam Smith. He believed in a democracy of the common man. Marshall by contrast, believed in rule by "the rich, the wise, and the good." Marshall's rulings favored "the rich, the wise, and the good," and he lied when making decisions that favored the wealthy. Our modern Supreme Court follows this tradition. They too lie when making decisions favoring the rich while simultaneously taking more rights away from financially average folks

[William Whalen · Rating 5 out of 5]

With all the controversy over the Supreme Court, this is an extremely timely book. If nothing else read this for the Marbury vs. Madison case which brought us judicial review without which no one would give a rat's butt about who was sitting on the Supreme Court. For entertainment value, you have the trial of Vice-President Burr. And fans of "The Paper Chase" can witness the first contract law case to come before the Supreme Court. Warning to fans of the 3rd President, Jefferson does come off as the villain in this book (and it has nothing to do with Sally Hemings). Now to start the last volume in the set.

[Ed Barton · Rating 4 out of 5]

From Marbury to Georgia

Marshall’s most critical and tenuous period on the court. Covering the Jefferson administration, this volume provides a deep dive on the Burr trial, on Marbury v Madison and introduces the challenges with the Indian treaties that will come to a head during the Jackson administration. Marshall’s adroit political and legal skills are on regular display in Beveridge’s excellent biography. A must read for historians and lawyers alike.

[xhxhx · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aaron Burr did nothing wrong