John Marshall

A New York Times Notable Book of 1996
It was in tolling the death of Chief Justice John Marshall in 1835 that the Liberty Bell cracked, never to ring again. An apt symbol of the man who shaped both court and country, whose life "reads like an early history of the United States," as the "Wall Street Journal "noted, adding: Jean Edward Smith "does an excellent job of recounting the details of Marshall's life without missing the dramatic sweep of the history it encompassed."
Working from primary sources, Jean Edward Smith has drawn an elegant portrait of a remarkable man. Lawyer, jurist, scholars; soldier, comrade, friend; and, most especially, lover of fine Madeira, good food, and animated table talk: the Marshall who emerges from these pages is noteworthy for his very human qualities as for his piercing intellect, and, perhaps most extraordinary, for his talents as a leader of men and a molder of consensus. A man of many parts, a true son of the Enlightenment, John Marshall did much for his country, and "John Marshall: Definer of a Nation "demonstrates this on every page.
Jean Edward Smith is professor of political science at the University of Toronto. Among his books are "Lucius D. Clay: An American Life" and "George Bush's War." He divides his time between Toronto, Mississippi, and New York.
A "New York Times" Notable Book
It was in tolling the death of Chief Justice John Marshall in 1835 that the Liberty Bell cracked, never to ring again. An apt symbol of the man who shaped both court and country, whose life "reads like an early history of the United States," as the "Wall Street Journal "noted, adding: Jean Edward Smith "does an excellent job of recounting the details of Marshall's life without missing the dramatic sweep of the history it encompassed."
Working from primary sources, Smith has drawn an elegant portrait of a remarkable man. Lawyer, jurist, scholar; soldier, comrade, friend; and, most especially, lover of fine Madeira, good food, and animated table talk: the Marshall who emerges from these pages is noteworthy for his very human qualities as for his piercing intellect, and, perhaps most extraordinary, for his talents as a leader of men and a molder of consensus. A man of many parts, a true son of the Enlightenment, John Marshall did much for his country, and "John Marshall: Definer of a Nation "demonstrates this on every page.
"A wholly satisfying modern biography that immediately establishes itself as the authoritative life . . . Splendid . . . Deserves a large readership."--Joseph J. Ellis, "The New York Times Book Review"
"Smith's well-written biography brings Marshall's achievement alive."--Jack N. Rakove, "The Boston Globe"
"Any reader who wishes to watch Marshall work in context can ask for no better source."--Dennis Hutchinson, "Chicago Tribune"
"We are in Smith's debt for a richer, more accurate, and more balanced view of Marshall and his achievements than we have ever had before . . . The best single-volume biography of the Chief Justice that we have."--Gordon S. Wood, "The New Republic "