James William Marshall
American politician (1822-1910)
James William Marshall (August 14, 1822 – February 5, 1910) was a United States Postmaster General under President Ulysses S. Grant 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 who implemented racial integration of African Americans into the U.S. Postal System, during Reconstruction Era, led by President Grant.
Early life, marriage, and career
James William Marshall was born in Clarke County, Virginia, 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, also a slave state, where he was engaged in business. Marshall graduated from Dickinson College, located at Carlisle, Pennsylvania in 1848.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “James William Marshall” as american politician (1822-1910). Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the people & ideas register because the source frames it as american politician (1822-1910). Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
The entry’s evidential value lies in the named roles, institutions and publications that can be tested against primary documentation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 8, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q373387. VIAF identifies the subject as 24430320. The Library of Congress control number is no2008173874. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1822, 1910, 1837 and 1848.
A concise life account rarely captures disputed attribution, private networks or the changing language used to describe a career. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.
- Establishing names and roles
- Building a first chronology
- Locating cited institutions
Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “James William Marshall”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow James William Marshall primary sources, James William Marshall archive and James research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “James William Marshall”?
- How has the subject’s reputation changed across later accounts?
- Which primary records establish identity, chronology and institutional ties?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “James William Marshall” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.