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Physiognotrace by
C.B.J. Fevret de Saint-Memin, 1808 |
John Marshall (1755-1835) was fourth chief justice of the United
States and a Congressman from his native state of Virginia. In
the Revolutionary War, Marshall rose to the rank of captain. When
the conflict ended, he practiced law in Richmond and became a
delegate to the Virginia general assembly. In 1797, he was appointed
a commissioner to France, where he became involved in the "XYZ
Affair." Two years later, he was elected to Congress, and
was later named secretary of state by John Adams. Marshall was
nominated to be chief justice of the United States in 1801 (1801–1835).
In the course of his thirty-four year tenure,
Marshall established the Supreme Court as the ultimate body for
interpreting the Constitution. The principle was first demonstrated
in the case of Marbury v. Madison (1803), as the Court
established the prerogative of judicial review. Other notable
cases included McCulloch v. Maryland, Gibbons v.
Ogden, Brown v. Maryland, and Ogden v. Saunders.
Marshall believed that the Constitution was designed to be "adapted
to the various crises of human affairs." Above all, he emphasized
national supremacy over the interests of the individual states
and the protection of property rights.
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From U.S. Senate
Collection,
Office of the Senate Curator |
John Marshall (1755-1835)
By Hiram Powers (1805-1873)
Marble, 1840
Size: 33" h.
Catalog No. 21.00014
S-141, Old Supreme Court Chamber, U.S. Senate Collection, Office
of the Senate Curator
About the Scuptor: An 1836 resolution directed
the Joint Committee on the Library to "cause a marble bust
of the late Chief Justice Marshall to be prepared by an artist
of merit and reputation, and to be placed in the chambers of the
Supreme Court of the Untied States, in a position corresponding
with that of the bust of the late Chief Justice Jay." Hiram
Powers, a pioneer of the neoclassical style in American sculpture,
secured the commission for the sum of $500. Powers failed to execute
the bust immediately, however, due to the press of other business.
He finally completed the Marshall bust in early 1840, after travelling
to Italy, where he would spend the rest of his life. Powers also
executed a statue of Benjamin Franklin, which is in the Senate
collection, and a statue of Thomas Jefferson which is located
in the House wing of the Capitol.
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