The Life of John Marshall by Albert J. Beveridge, Four Volume Set, 1916

Beveridge, Albert J. The Life of John Marshall. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1916-1919. Four volume set. Bound in 3/4 burgundy leather and rose cloth boards, with raised bands, gilt tooling, and gilt titles to the spine, marbled endpaper, top edge gilt. 

Presented is a handsome four-volume set of The Life of John Marshall by Albert J. Beveridge. The set was published by the Houghton Mifflin Company in Boston and New York and printed by the Riverside Press in Cambridge, issued from 1916 to 1919. The set is presented in 3/4 burgundy leather and rose cloth boards, with raised bands, gilt tooling, and titles to the spines, top edges gilt, and matching marbled endpapers. 

In 1920, historian Albert J. Beveridge won a Pulitzer Prize for Biography for this extensive and sweeping biography of Marshall. Volume I, titled “Frontiersman, soldier, lawmaker,” covers the time period of 1755-1788. Volume II, “Politician, diplomatist, statesman”, covers 1789-1801. Volume III, “Conflict and construction,” covers 1800-1815. And finally, Volume IV, “The building of the nation,” covers the time period of 1815-1835. Throughout all four volumes, Beveridge connects events in John Marshall's life with his later rulings on the US Supreme Court. 

John Marshall (1755-1835) was an American politician and lawyer who became the United States’ fourth Chief Justice. Marshall stood as the longest-serving Chief Justice in the Supreme Court and is easily recognized in history texts as one of the most influential justices to serve. Marshall served for more than three decades, during which time he helped increase the power and prestige of the Federal court system. By the end of his tenure, the precedent of judicial review was firmly established and the federal judiciary had evolved into a formidable branch of the United States government. 

Largely self educated, Marshall grew up in the foothills of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. As a young boy, he acquired a lifelong appreciation for English literature, law, and history. Marshall set aside his law studies in 1775 to fight in the American War of Independence. As an officer in the Continental Army, Marshall served under George Washington. After leaving the army, Marshall studied law at the College of William and Mary and was admitted to practice law in Virginia in 1780. His law practice flourished and he soon became involved in politics, winning his election to the Virginia legislature in 1782.

Marshall was heavily involved in debates in Virginia related to the ratification of the Constitution. He allied himself with James Madison and urged Virginians to accept the new document and the strong central government that it would create. After ratification, Marshall aligned himself with the Federalist Party, though he turned down several federal appointments to continue his private law practice.

Marshall successfully ran for the House of Representatives in 1798, and two years later John Adams appointed him as Secretary of State. In 1800, Adams nominated Marshall as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and he took office the following year.

Marshall became Chief Justice in 1801, which was two years after Washington had passed away. After he was appointed, George Washington’s nephew Bushrod approached Marshall with the request for him to write a biography. In Bushrod’s eyes, and in the opinion of the family, Marshall was best suited for the task given his skill as a researcher, author, and his close friendship with Washington. When Marshall agreed to write a full biography, Washington’s family provided him with countless records and papers to help document the late president’s life. Marshall published his biography as a five-volume series between 1804 and 1807, and to this day

CONDITION:

In very good condition. 4 volumes. Rebound, in 3/4 burgundy leather and rose cloth boards, with raised bands, gilt tooling and titles to the spines. Top edge gilt and matching marbled endpapers. Illustrated, with tissue-guarded frontispiece portrait of Marshall to each volume. Small tear to the leather spin in Vol II. Very clean interior pages, paper is healthy. 

Book Dimensions: Vol I: 9" H x 6" W x 2" D. Vol II: 9" H x 6" W x 2 1/8" D. Vol III: 9" H x 6" W x 2 1/8" D. Vol IV: 9" H x 6" W x 2 1/4" D.

Accompanied by our company's letter of authenticity.