Samuel S. Marshall

Born near Shawneetown, Illinois, Marshall attended public and private schools in McLeansboro, Illinois, and Cumberland CollegeinKentucky. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1845, and commenced practice in McLeansboro.

Marshall served as member of the Illinois House of Representatives in 1846 and 1847. He then served as State's Attorney for the third judicial circuit of Illinois in 1847 and 1848, and as an Illinois circuit court judge from 1851 until 1854.

Marshall was elected as a Democrat to the 34th and 35th United States Congresses, serving consecutively from 1855 to 1859. He served as chairman of the Committee on Claims during the 35th Congress.

He was the candidate of his party for United States Senator in 1861, but lost to incumbent Republican Lyman Trumbull, with Trumbull receiving 54 votes in the Illinois House of Representatives to Marshall's 46 votes on January 9, 1861.^[1]

Marshall again served as an Illinois Circuit Court judge from 1861 until 1864. He served as a delegate to 1860 and 1864 Democratic National Conventions.

Marshall was elected to the 39th United States Congress and to the four following Congresses (serving March 4, 1865 – March 4, 1875), and was the candidate of his party for Speaker of the Housein1867. He represented Illinois's 11th district for four terms and, after redistricting, represented the 19th district for his final term. Marshall was a delegate to the 1866 National Union Convention.

During the 40th Congress, Marshall served on the House Committee on the Judiciary, which was conducting the first impeachment inquiry against President Andrew Johnson.^[2] On November 25, 1867, the committee voted 5–4 to recommend impeachment.^[3] Hinds was on the minority side opposing impeachment, along with the one other Democrat on the committee and two Republicans.^[2] On December 7, 1867, Marshall was joined by 108 other congressmen (including 66 members of the Republican Party in a full House vote which defeated the resolution put forward to impeach Johnson by 57–108.^[4]

On January 28, 1868, Marshall voted against a resolution launching the second impeachment inquiry against Johnson, but the resolution passed 99–31.^[5] On December 7, 1867, Marshall voted against the impeachment of Andrew Johnson, which the house passed 126–47.^[6] On March 2 and 3, 1968, Marshall voted against all eleven articles of impeachment.^[7] When it came time, on March 2, 1868, to vote on who to appoint as the House's impeachment managers (those House members that would prosecutors during the trial), Speaker Shuyler Colfax initially appointed Marshall to act as a teller to tally the vote. However, Marshall requested to be excused from this role, and he, along with the rest of the Democrats, ultimately abstained from voting on impeachment managers.^[2]

He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1874 to the 44th Congress.

Marshall served as president of the board of managers of Hamilton College from 1875 through 1880. He again served as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1880.

He died in McLeansboro, Illinois, on July 26, 1890.^[8] He was interred in Odd Fellows Cemetery.^{[citation needed]}

• United States Congress. "Samuel S. Marshall (id: M000160)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

  This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress