SAMUEL S. MARSHALL

FROM: The History of Gallatin, Saline, Hamilton, Franklin, and Williamson Counties, Illinois (Chicago: Goodspeed Publishing Co., 1887).  P. 721-723

           Hon. Samuel S. Marshall, of McLeansboro, ILL., was born March 12,1821, near Shawneetown  Gallatin Co., Il. He is the son of Daniel and Sophia (Walker) Marshall, both natives of the North of Ireland, where they were married They were both of that Scotch-Irish stock which has furnished so many sturdy patriots and able men to the American Nation. They came to the United States in 1818 locating in Gallatin County, to which county two of Daniel Marshall's brothers: John and Samuel bad already come; the former a well known and successful banker and business man of Shawneetown. Daniel Marshall came to Hamilton County about 1825, locating, at McLeansboro and engaging in mercantile pursuits which he successfully followed for about thirty year& Politically he was originally a Jackson Democrat, but in the Harrison campaign became a Whig, with which party he acted until it ceased to exist. He was county clerk of Hamilton County for four years. During the late civil war he was an ardent advocate of the Union cause, and died shortly after its close. Both himself and wife were members of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Daniel and Mrs. Marshall bad three sons and four daughters who grew to mature age, those now living being John W., Samuel S. and Mrs. Elizabeth Millard. Daniel Marshall was married the second time to Miss Sarah Holmes, by whom he had one daughter, Edith M., now the wife of C. M. Wiseman, of McLeansboro. The subject of this sketch, was reared to manhood in Hamilton County. He spent two years at Cumberland College, Princeton, Ky., now Cumberland University, Lebanon, Tenn., but his advancement in knowledge was due more to assiduous private study than to educational facilities. He began reading law in 1842 with Judge Henry Eddy, of Shawneetown, big cousin by marriage, and having been licensed by the supreme court to practice in all the courts of the State, he opened an office in McLeansboro, and immediately achieved deserved success at the bar. In 1846 he was elected to the Lower House of the General Assembly, and though its youngest member took an active and conspicuous part in all its proceedings and deliberations. In March, 1847, be was unanimously elected by the Legislature State's attorney for the Third Judicial District., comprising the counties of Marion, Jefferson, Hamilton, Williamson, Jackson, Union, Alexander, Pulaski Massac, Pope, Hardin, Gallatin and Saline. In one of these counties, Massac, the people were in open and organized resistance to the enforcement of the laws, and in another, Pope, there was considerable trouble, but affairs were not in so deplorable a state. In Massac County, bands of regulators bad been organized, originally for the purpose of driving out a set of thieves, but at length bad men joined the regulators and eventually secured control; hence many good men refused to unite with them and the people were almost equally divided into two parties, " Regulators " and 11 Flatheads," between which there was little to choose - But the result was that society was without protection through the general suspension of the laws, for juries could not be found within the limits of the county to render verdicts against either their friends or their enemies. To meet this condition of things the Legislature passed a special act in session of 1847, by which the entire Third Judicial Circuit was made one trial district; and parties arrested in Massac County, could, under this special act be taken to any other county within the trial district for trial, where juries would not be influenced by either friendship or fear, and thus with a fearless prosecutor and impartial juries, determined to protect the people and vindicate the supremacy of the law, the troubles ceased and society resumed its wonted peace. After serving two years as State's attorney, Mr. Marshall declined a re-election, and resumed the practice of law. In March, 1851, he was elected over the late C. H. Constable, of Mount Carmel, Ill., judge of the Seventh Judicial Circuit, then newly created and composed of the counties of Marion, Jefferson, Hamilton, Franklin, Saline, Gallatin, White, Wabash, Edwards and Wayne. This office he resigned in the fall of 1854 to accept the position of representative in Congress from the Ninth Congressional District. He was re-elected in 1856, but in 1858, not being a candidate, he was succeeded by John A. Logan, and he in 1859 resumed the practice of law. In 1861 he was elected judge of the Twelfth Judicial Circuit, serving until 1864, when he resigned, and was elected a member of the XXXIX Congress. He was re-elected to Congress afterward four times in succession, thus serving consecutively through five terms, from 1865 to 1875, since which time he has not been a candidate. During his service in Congress be served on several of the leading committees of the House: The committee on ways and means, on appropriations, 'and the judiciary committee. He also took active part in debates on questions of National importance notably the tariff question- and is regarded as one of the ablest champions of the doctrine of free trade. In 1860 he represented the Democratic party for the State at large in the Charleston convention, which failed to nominate a candidate for the presidency, and also in the Baltimore convention, which nominated Stephen A- Douglas. In 1864 he was a member of the Chicago convention, which nominated George B. McClellan for the presidency, and was a member of the committee on resolutions. In 1866, representing the Democracy for the State at large, he was a member of the consulting convention which met at Philadelphia, which had for its object the determination of the proper course of the Democratic party regarding the difficulties then existing between President Andrew Johnson and the Republican party. In 1880 he was a member, representing the Democracy for the State at large, of the Cincinnati convention, which nominated Gen. Hancock for President, and was chairman of the Illinois delegation in that convention, When Lyman Trumbull was elected by the Illinois Legislature to the United States Senate, Mr. Marshall received the votes of all the Democratic members of the Legislature for that position, though not a candidate for the position, absent from the capital, and without any knowledge on his part until after the vote, that his name would be used in that connection as a candidate for the position, and was defeated by only a few votes. While in Congress he was at one time candidate for speaker of the House. Mr. Marshall was brought up in the Presbyterian faith, but never bar, affiliated with any sect, though he freely contributes to all. He has accumulation a comfortable competency, owning about 2,000 acres of good farming land in Hamilton County, nearly 1,000 of it lying contiguous to McLeansboro. He also owns considerable city property.