Samuel Taylor Marshall

American attorney and fraternity founder

Samuel Taylor Marshall

Born| February 6, 1812

Oxford, Ohio, US

Died| June 13, 1895(1895-06-13) (aged 83)

Keokuk, Iowa, US

Burial place| Oakland Cemetery (Keokuk, Iowa)
Alma mater| Miami University
Occupation| Attorney
Known for| Founder of Beta Theta Pi

Samuel Taylor Marshall (February 6, 1812 – June 13, 1895) was an American attorney, government official, and fraternity founder. He was one of the founders of Beta Theta Pi, a college fraternity founded at Miami University in 1839. Marshall served as the sergeant-at-arms of the Iowa legislature.

## Early life

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Marshall was born February 6, 1812, in Oxford, Ohio.[1] His parents were Mary Hueston and Gilbert Marshall, a farmer.[2] He was one of ten children and completed his primary education in local county schools.[2]

Marshall attended Miami University, graduating with an A.B. degree in 1840.[3][4] While at Miami, he was one of the eight founders of Beta Theta Pi fraternity.[3][5][6] He wrote the fraternity's constitution and its by-laws.[4][6][2] Initially, the group operated sub rose because of faculty objections to Greek letter organizations.[7] However, once Marshall had recruited ten members, they wore a fraternity pin in public.[7] As the oldest member of the fraternity, he was regarded as its "father".[3][4][6]

Marshall joined the Patriots and fought in the Patriot War as a Lieutenant Colonel.[2][1] He was captured by the Canadians and imprisoned from July 1841 to February 1842.[2][1] When he was captured, he ate the official documents in his possession, rather than letting them be seen by the Canadians.[1][2] He was found guilty of invasion and was sentenced to transportation to Van Diemen's Land, now Tasmania, but managed to elude deportation until he was released.[4][1][6][2]

After his release, Marshall studied law with Timonty Walker in Cincinnati.[2] He then continued his law studies in LaFayette, Indiana and with Pettit & Orth.[2]

## Career

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Marshall moved to Lee County, Iowa in December 1842 and began practicing law in West Point.[2] The governor appointed Marshall as a notary public for Lee County in 1844.[8] In 1847, Marshall moved his practice to Keokuk, Iowa where he became a prominent attorney.[2][4][5] He served as the sergeant-at-arms of the Iowa legislature from 1846 to 1848.[3]

Marshall was an editor of the Nip and Tuck, a daily newspaper in Keokuk.[1][2]

## Honors

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Marshall was the guest of honor for the Beta Theta Pi Founders' Day celebration on May 24, 1895.[9][10] In 1898, the fraternity erected a memorial to Marshall and its other founders at Miami University.[11] Beta Theta Pi named its Samuel Tayor Marshall Memorial Scholarship in his honor.[12]

## Personal life

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Marshall married Louisa Davis Patterson, a native of Kentucky, in West Point on February 26, 1846.[2] She was the daughter of Col. William Patterson who was a member of Iowa's first territorial legislature and was the mayor and postmaster of Keokuk.[2][1] The couple had ten children, including Robert M. Marshall, W. P. Marshall, A. Tom Marshall, Sabret T. Mashall, C. H. Marshall, Maude M. Marshall, and Sabet T. Marshall.[2] Tom practice law with his father and Robert became the county attorney of Lee County.[2] Sabret studied law under his father and brother and became a lawyer and member of the Iowa legislature.[1][2]

In October 1945, Marshall was a member of the Anti-Morman League in Lee County; he served on a committee to select candidates for office.[13] He was also a member of the Masons.[2]

On June 13, 1895, Marshall died of heart problems in Keokuk at the age of 85 years.[4][5][6] He was buried in the Oakland Cemetery in Keokuk. Beta Theta Pi held a memorial service for Marshall at its annual convention in Chicago on July 26, 1895.[14]

His daughter, Maude, bequeathed $5,000 ($58,689 in today's money) to the Miami University chapter of Beta Theta Pi in 1955.[15]

## See also

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* List of Beta Theta Pi members

## References

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1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Sabet T. Marshall Died Sunday". The Daily Gate City. Keokuk, Iowa. 1914-09-21. p. 7. Retrieved 2024-03-09 - via Newspapers.com.
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Biographical Review of Lee County, Iowa. Chicago: Hobart Publishing Company, 1905. pp. 174-176. via Library of Congress.
3. ^ a b c d Brown, James T., ed., Catalogue of Beta Theta Pi, New York: 1917.
4. ^ a b c d e f "Samuel Taylor Marshall". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. 1895-06-14. p. 6. Retrieved 2024-03-09 - via Newspaper.com.
5. ^ a b c "Samuel Taylor Marshall". Chicago Tribune. 1895-06-14. p. 8. Retrieved 2024-03-09 - via Newspapers.com.
6. ^ a b c d e "Founder of Delta Theta Phi. Death of Samuel Taylor Marshall". The Indianapolis News. 1895-06-14. p. 1. Retrieved 2024-03-09 - via Newspapers.com.
7. ^ a b "Beta Theta Pi Born Sub Rosa". Asheville Citizen-Times. Asheville, North Carolina. 1933-03-26. p. 3. Retrieved 2024-03-09 - via Newspapers.com.
8. ^ "Appointments by the Governor". Muscatine Journal. Bloomington, Iowa. 1844-02-23. p. 2. Retrieved 2024-03-09 - via Newspapers.
9. ^ "Founders' Day". The Cincinnati Enquirer. 1895-05-25. p. 5. Retrieved 2024-03-09 - via Newspapers.com.
10. ^ "Founders of Beta Theta Pi". Minneapolis Daily Times. 1895-05-25. p. 1. Retrieved 2024-03-09 - via Newspapers.com.
11. ^ "Memorial to be Erected". The Marion Star. Marion, Ohio. 1898-07-21. p. 3. Retrieved 2024-03-09 - via Newspapers.com.
12. ^ "Daniel Fletcher". Columbia Daily Tribune. Columbia, Missouri. 2005-10-02. p. 39. Retrieved 2024-03-09 - via Newspapers.com.
13. ^ "Anti-Mormon Meeting in Lee Co". The Burlington Hawk-Eye. Burlington, Iowa ·. 1845-10-23. p. 2. Retrieved 2024-03-09 - via Newspaper.com.
14. ^ "Closing Sessions of Beta Theta Pi". Chicago Tribune. 1895-07-27. p. 8. Retrieved 2024-03-09 - via Newspapers.com.
15. ^ "Leaves Fraternity $5,000". Lancaster Eagle-Gazette. Lancaster, Ohio. 1955-02-24. p. 2. Retrieved 2024-03-09 - via Newspapers.com.

## External links

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* Samuel Taylor Marshall at Find a Grave