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Birth
Thoroughgood Marshall was born in Baltimore, Maryland to Norma and William Marshall. His mother was a kindergarten teacher and his father, the grandson of slaves, worked as a steward in an expensive club. When he was in second grade, he decided to shorten his name to something that was easier to spell: Thurgood. -
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Attends Baltimore's Colored High and Training School
This school was later renamed to be Frederick Douglass High School. When Marhshall got in trouble at school, he had to memorize parts of the Constitution as his punishment. -
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Attends Lincoln University and Graduates with Honors
Lincoln University is a HBCU in Pennsylvania -
Gets rejected from the Univerity of Maryland's Law School Because of His Race
Marshall later said that this event "helped determine the future course of his career." -
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Attends Howard University for Law School and Graduates Magna Cum Laude
When Marshall was young, himself, his father, and his brother would have debates at the dinner table after his father listened to cases at the local courthouse. -
Tries to Start His Own Practice in Baltimore
Marshall's Baltimore practice eventually failed because he didn't get any significant cases due to his lack of experience. -
Starts Working for the Baltimore Branch of the NAACP
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Moves to NYC to Become Full-Time Legal Counsel for the NAACP
The NAACP used the legal system to strike down many different forms of legalized racism. -
Wins Murray v. Pearson
This case helped undermine the legal basis for de jure racial segregation -
Wins Smith v. Allwright
This case ended white-only democratic primaries in some southern states. -
Wins Brown v. Board of Education
This landmark case overturned Plessy v. Ferguson and declared that "separate but equal" was not actually equal. -
Appointed by JFK to be a Judge for the US Second Circuit Court of Appeals
During his time as a lawyer, Marshall argued 32 cases in front of the Supreme Court, the most out of anyone in history, and won 29 of them. -
Appointed by LBJ to be the First African American Solicitor General
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Appointed by LBJ to be the First African American Supreme Court Justice
Marshall was known for writing strongly-worded dissents and "consistently supported rulings upholding a strong protection of individual rights and liberal interpretations of controversial social issues." (Biography.com) -
Retires from the Supreme Court of the United States
During his career, Marshall was an example for all aspiring lawyers and judges, regardless of race. Someone once said of Marshall that "it's very important that we Negroes have a man who is at home in the Supreme Court and equally at home with the man on the street. Thurgood can talk on terms of equality with a social scientist like Sweden's Gunnar Myrdal, but he talks the argot of Harlem with the man on the street corner. He creates confidence on all levels of Negro life." -
Passes Away in Bethesda, Maryland
