Thurgood Marshall Bio: Age, Children, Net Worth, Wife, College Fund, Death, School

Biography

Thoroughgood “Thurgood” Marshall, born in 1908 and passing in 1993, was a pioneering American lawyer, civil rights champion, and jurist who made history as the first African American Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Serving from 1967 to 1991, he was a powerful advocate for justice and equality. A Baltimore native and Howard University School of Law graduate, Marshall gained national prominence as the NAACP’s chief counsel, successfully arguing landmark cases like Brown v. Board of Education (1954), which ended racial segregation in public schools.

With a remarkable record of winning 29 out of 32 Supreme Court cases as an attorney, his judicial career was defined by his steadfast defense of individual rights and constitutional protections, cementing his legacy in American legal history.

Civil rights lawyer and former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
Thurgood Marshall
Wiki Facts & About Data
Real Name:	Thoroughgood Marshall
Stage Name:	Thurgood Marshall
Born:	2 July 1908 (age 84 years old)
Place of Birth:	Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Died:	24 January 1993 (age 84 years), Walter Reed Army Medical Center
Nationality:	American
Education:	Frederick Douglass High School, Lincoln University, Howard University School of Law
Height:	1.87 m
Parents:	Norma Arica Marshall, William Marshall
Siblings:	William Aubrey Marshall
Spouse:	Cecilia Suyat Marshall (m. 1955–1993), Vivian Burey Marshall (m. 1929–1955)
Girlfriend • Partner:	Not Dating
Children:	Thurgood Marshall Jr., John W. Marshall
Occupation:	Lawyer • Jurist
Net Worth:	$500,000-$1 million (USD)

Early Life & Education

Thurgood Marshall was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on July 2, 1908. He was of African American descent, with ancestral roots tracing back to enslaved individuals from the Congo region and some European heritage. Raised in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, his upbringing instilled a strong moral foundation, though his family was not deeply religious.

His father, William Canfield Marshall, worked as a railroad porter and later as a steward at a private club, while his mother, Norma Arica Williams, was an elementary school teacher. Marshall was the younger of two sons, and he had an older brother, William Aubrey Marshall, who later became a physician. His parents greatly emphasised education and discipline—his mother encouraged academic excellence. At the same time, his father nurtured his passion for debate and the U.S. Constitution, often taking him to observe courtroom proceedings.

Marshall attended Frederick Douglass High School in Baltimore, where he was an exceptional yet outspoken student, sometimes landing in trouble for challenging authority. After graduating in 1925, he enrolled at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, a historically Black institution.

Initially studying dentistry, he soon shifted his focus after excelling on the debate team. Financial challenges made law school seem uncertain, leading him to take jobs as a waiter before securing admission to Howard University School of Law in Washington, D.C.

Under the mentorship of Dean Charles Hamilton Houston, Marshall thrived academically, graduating first in his class in 1933 with a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) degree.

Career

Thurgood Marshall’s career was a transformative journey in legal advocacy, civil rights activism, and judicial service, shaping American law and society. After earning his law degree from Howard University in 1933, he began practising in Baltimore, Maryland, often representing clients who couldn’t afford legal fees.

This early experience reinforced his lifelong dedication to justice for the marginalized. In 1934, he joined the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) as a staff attorney under the mentorship of Charles Hamilton Houston.

By 1938, he became the NAACP’s chief counsel, leading the Legal Defense and Educational Fund and spearheading a legal strategy to dismantle racial segregation.

Marshall’s most defining moment as a lawyer came in Brown v. Board of Education (1954), where he successfully argued before the U.S. Supreme Court that segregated public schools violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment, overturning the Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) “separate but equal” doctrine.

This landmark decision was a catalyst for the Civil Rights Movement. Throughout his legal career, he argued 32 cases before the Supreme Court, winning 29—a remarkable record that included cases on voting rights (Smith v. Allwright, 1944), housing discrimination (Shelley v. Kraemer, 1948), and education equality. His approach blended rigorous legal preparation, compelling argumentation, and an unshakable belief in the Constitution’s role in securing justice.

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy appointed Marshall to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, where he served until 1965. There, he authored over 150 opinions without a single Supreme Court reversal. In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson named him U.S. Solicitor General, making him the first African American to hold the position.

As Solicitor General, he argued 19 cases before the Supreme Court, winning 14, further cementing his influence on civil rights and criminal justice.

Marshall reached the pinnacle of his career in 1967 when President Johnson appointed him as the first African American Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Serving until 1991, he emerged as a steadfast champion of civil liberties, affirmative action, and the rights of criminal defendants.

His notable opinions included Stanley v. Georgia (1969), which reinforced privacy rights, and Bounds v. Smith (1977), which upheld prisoners’ access to legal resources. As the Court became more conservative, Marshall remained a passionate dissenter, using his voice to defend equality, individual rights, and justice for all.

Personal Life

Thurgood Marshall led a remarkable life, both personally and professionally. Born on July 2, 1908, he stood 6 feet 2 inches tall, his physical presence reflecting the intellectual stature that defined his legacy. He lived to the age of 84, passing away on January 24, 1993.

Marshall was married twice. He first married Vivian “Buster” Burey Marshall, whom he met at Lincoln University. The couple wed on September 4, 1929, when Marshall was 21 and Burey was 18.

Their marriage, which lasted over 25 years, was shadowed by heartbreak as they struggled with infertility and multiple miscarriages. In the early 1950s, Burey was diagnosed with cancer and passed away on February 11, 1955, at the age of 44, leaving Marshall a widower at 46. They had no children.

Later that same year, in December 1955, Marshall married Cecilia “Cissy” Suyat Marshall, a Filipino American secretary at the NAACP. He was 47, and she was 29. Their marriage spanned nearly 38 years and brought them two sons: Thurgood “Goody” Marshall Jr., born in 1956, who later built a career in law and politics, serving as a White House aide; and John William Marshall, born in 1958, who pursued law enforcement and became the U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Marshall had at least four grandchildren through his sons, though little public information is available about them.

Net Worth

Thurgood Marshall’s net worth at the time of his death on January 24, 1993, is not precisely documented, as he lived a modest life focused on public service rather than personal wealth accumulation. As a lawyer for the NAACP, a federal judge, a Solicitor General, and a Supreme Court Justice, his income primarily came from salaried positions rather than private enterprise.

During his Supreme Court tenure (1967–1991), justices’ salaries ranged from approximately $60,000 to $115,000 annually, adjusted for inflation, and he earned pensions thereafter.

Estimates suggest Thurgood‘s net worth was likely in the low to mid-six-figure range—perhaps $500,000 to $1 million in 1993 dollars—comprising savings, his home in Washington, D.C., and retirement benefits.