Administrative Information

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Preferred Citation

John Marshall. Letter, 31 August 1790. Accession 24615b. Personal papers collection. The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.

Acquisition Information

Purchased, 8 May 1957.

Biographical Information

John Marshall was born 24 September 1755 in Fauquier County, Virginia. He served in the 11th Regiment of Virginia Troops during the American Revolution. Marshall studied law at the College of William and Mary, was admitted to the bar in 1780, and began practicing law. Marshall was a delegate to the Virginia ratifying convention in 1788, and a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1799 to 1800. President John Adams appointed him Secretary of State in 1800 and Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court in 1801. Marshall served as Chief Justice until his death 6 July 1835. Marshall was buried in Shockoe Hill Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia.

Scope and Content Information

Letter, 31 August 1790, from John Marshall (1755-1835) of Richmond, Virginia, to Patrick Henry (1736-1799) of Prince Edward County, Virginia, concerning the estate of "Mr. Randolph," which has several creditors. The question apparently is whether his creditors can sue his devisees for land that he left to them and the obligation of heirs to the creditors. According to the editors of THE PAPERS OF JOHN MARSHALL, "Mr. Randolph" is either John Randolph (1742-1775) or Richard Randolph II (ca. 1725-1786), both of whom owned land in Prince Edward and the surrounding counties. This letter can be found in THE PAPERS OF JOHN MARSHALL, volume 2, pp. 60-61.