James William Marshall
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James William Marshall (August 14, 1822 – February 5, 1910) was a
United States Postmaster General The United States Postmaster General (PMG) is the chief executive officer of the United States Postal Service (USPS). The PMG is responsible for managing and directing the day-to-day operations of the agency. The PMG is selected and appointed by ...
under President
Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...
as well as a government administrator in several capacities for presidents Lincoln, Grant, and Hayes. Marshall was the third to last surviving cabinet member of the Grant Administration. He was not known for any involvement in Grant administration scandals, and his reputation remained intact. Marshall worked under Postmaster
John Creswell John Andrew Jackson Creswell (November 18, 1828December 23, 1891) was an American politician and abolitionist from Maryland, who served as United States Representative, United States Senator, and as Postmaster General of the United States app ...
who implemented racial integration of
African Americans African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
into the U.S. Postal System, during
Reconstruction Era The Reconstruction era was a period in American history following the American Civil War (1861–1865) and lasting until approximately the Compromise of 1877. During Reconstruction, attempts were made to rebuild the country after the bloo ...
, led by President Grant.


Early life, marriage, and career

James William Marshall was born in
Clarke County Clarke County may refer to: ;Places *One of five counties in the United States: **Clarke County, Alabama **Clarke County, Georgia **Clarke County, Iowa **Clarke County, Mississippi **Clarke County, Virginia Clarke County is a county in the Com ...
,
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
, a slave state, on August 14, 1822. His mother was Susan Oreah Marshall and his father was James Pede. His grandfather was Rush Marshall. Marshall attended schools at Clarke and Fauquier Counties until 1837. The same year Marshall was removed to Mount Sterling,
Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...
, also a slave state, where he was engaged in business. Marshall graduated from
Dickinson College , mottoeng = Freedom is made safe through character and learning , established = , type = Private liberal arts college , endowment = $645.5 million (2022) , president = J ...
, located at
Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern England, Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers River Eden, Cumbria, Eden, River C ...
,
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
in 1848. After graduation Marshall served as adjunct Professor of Ancient Languages at Dickinson College from 1848 to 1850. Marshall married Jane Stephenson of Carlisle in 1850. Marshall then served as full Professor of Ancient Languages chairmanship from 1850 to 1862. Marshall's nephew was James Pede Marshall. In 1860, according to the U.S. Census, Marshall's household size was six. His occupation was Professor of Languages. He lived in
Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern England, Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers River Eden, Cumbria, Eden, River C ...
and his worth was $13,000 ($314,000.00 in ''2020''). He was married and had three children. On March 4, 1861, while he was faculty at Dickinson College, Marshall had to punish two students involved in gunplay. In
Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern England, Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers River Eden, Cumbria, Eden, River C ...
, Dickinson College student William De Vecmom (Class of 1863), was given ten penalty points by the Dickinson College faculty for possession of a firearm, a pistol. Vecmom's fraternity brother, Henry Sherwood (Class of 1864), was also punished by the Dickinson College faculty for handling that pistol "at the same time and immediately after its discharge." De Vecmom later became a lawyer and Sherwood became a printer and served in the Union Army during the Civil War.


Civil War


Students demand term to end

On April 20, 1861, eight days after the Civil War started, the country was in a "disturbed state". Students from the upper classes at Dickinson college demanded to be tested immediately and that their term to end. However, the Dickinson College faculty in
Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern England, Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers River Eden, Cumbria, Eden, River C ...
, having read the student debates, declined to make a decision on the matter, and the term year ended at its regular date.


United States Consul

At the outbreak of the
Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
, although a Southerner, Marshall sided with the North. Marshal was appointed United States Consul to
Leeds, England Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...
by President
Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
serving four years from 1861 to 1865.


Reconstruction


First Assistant Postmaster General (1869-1874)

In 1869 President
Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...
appointed Marshall First Assistant Postmaster General to Postmaster
John Creswell John Andrew Jackson Creswell (November 18, 1828December 23, 1891) was an American politician and abolitionist from Maryland, who served as United States Representative, United States Senator, and as Postmaster General of the United States app ...
. Marshall's tenor lasted until 1874. A significant event in 1873, during Marshall's tenor under Postmaster Creswell, was the implementation of
postcards A postcard or post card is a piece of thick paper or thin cardboard, typically rectangular, intended for writing and mailing without an envelope. Non-rectangular shapes may also be used but are rare. There are novelty exceptions, such as wood ...
by the United States Postal Service.


African Americans appointed

Marshall worked under Creswell during the
Reconstruction Era The Reconstruction era was a period in American history following the American Civil War (1861–1865) and lasting until approximately the Compromise of 1877. During Reconstruction, attempts were made to rebuild the country after the bloo ...
, a time when former black slaves had received citizenship and voting rights. As a
Radical Republican The Radical Republicans (later also known as " Stalwarts") were a faction within the Republican Party, originating from the party's founding in 1854, some 6 years before the Civil War, until the Compromise of 1877, which effectively ended Reco ...
, Postmaster Creswell integrated the Postal Service, and appointed
African Americans African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
to serve in every state working in the Postal System. African American postal workers encountered abuse in certain areas of the South. Creswell appointed more
African Americans African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
than any of his predecessors.


Patronage reduced

While Marshall worked under Postmaster Creswell, the U.S. Postal System was full of patronage opportunities, potentially leading to abusive power in making appointments. However, in distributing patronage, Creswell followed the spirit of Civil Service reform and improved the efficiency of the postal service. Creswell was known to have "distributed the enormous patronage of his office with a minimum of friction."


U.S. Postmaster-General (1874)

In July 1874 President Grant appointed Marshall
Postmaster-General A Postmaster General, in Anglosphere countries, is the chief executive officer of the postal service of that country, a Ministry (government department), ministerial office responsible for overseeing all other postmasters. The practice of having ...
serving until the appointment of
Marshall Jewell Marshall Jewell (October 20, 1825February 10, 1883) was a manufacturer, pioneer telegrapher, telephone entrepreneur, world traveler, and political figure who served as 44th and 46th Governor of Connecticut, the US Minister to Russia, the 25th ...
to Postmaster-General in the same year. James Marshall took the place of Postmaster-General
John Creswell John Andrew Jackson Creswell (November 18, 1828December 23, 1891) was an American politician and abolitionist from Maryland, who served as United States Representative, United States Senator, and as Postmaster General of the United States app ...
who had resigned office and was appointed by Grant in 1869. James Marshall served in office until September 1874. Marshall was a Southern cabinet member during Reconstruction.


First Assistant Postmaster General (1874-1877)

Marshall was reappointed First Assistant Postmaster-General in 1874 after
Marshall Jewell Marshall Jewell (October 20, 1825February 10, 1883) was a manufacturer, pioneer telegrapher, telephone entrepreneur, world traveler, and political figure who served as 44th and 46th Governor of Connecticut, the US Minister to Russia, the 25th ...
was appointed Postmaster-General the same year. James Marshall continued service until 1877 at the close of the Grant Administration. A significant event that took place in 1874 was the creation of the General Postal Union (now Universal Postal Union).


Later career

Marshall was appointed General Superintendent of the Railway Mail Service by Postmaster General Key, a southerner, serving under President
Rutherford B. Hayes Rutherford Birchard Hayes (; October 4, 1822 – January 17, 1893) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 19th president of the United States from 1877 to 1881, after serving in the U.S. House of Representatives and as governor ...
until Key's tenor ended in 1880. Afterwards Marshall retired from political and public life.


Death

On February 5, 1910, Marshall died in Washington D.C. caused by general debility. Marshall was the third to last surviving cabinet member of President
Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...
.


Legacy

Marshall was not known to be associated with any Grant Administration scandals. No book biographies have been written on Marshall. Much of his life outside of the public office is unknown. Overall his legacy is viewed as positive. During his tenor as Assistant Postmaster under Postmaster Cresswell, in 1873, the U.S. Post Office issued its first
postcards A postcard or post card is a piece of thick paper or thin cardboard, typically rectangular, intended for writing and mailing without an envelope. Non-rectangular shapes may also be used but are rare. There are novelty exceptions, such as wood ...
, to be used in the U.S. Postal System. Postmaster Marshall was one of four Grant cabinet members who survived into the 20th Century. Although Marshall was a Southerner, he worked under Postmaster General Creswell who implemented racial integration into the U.S. Postal System.


References


Sources

* * * * * * * *


External links

*
1873 Postcard United States photo

James W. Marshall, Consul Report, 1863
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marshall, James William United States Postmasters General 1822 births 1910 deaths Grant administration cabinet members 19th-century American politicians Pennsylvania Republicans Washington, D.C., Republicans