Thurgood Marshall
A brilliant legal strategist who dismantled the doctrine of 'separate but equal' in courtrooms before breaking the ultimate barrier on the nation's highest bench.
1908–1993 (age 85)·US Supreme Court justice from 1967 to 1991·Birthday: July 2·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Thurgood Marshall's weapon was the law. Long before he donned judicial robes, he was the commanding general of the NAACP's legal assault on segregation, traveling the dangerous backroads of the Jim Crow South to try cases. With a deep, resonant voice and a mind like a steel trap, he argued 32 cases before the Supreme Court, winning an astonishing 29. His most earth-shaking victory was Brown v. Board of Education in 1954, where he convinced a unanimous Court that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. In 1967, President Lyndon Johnson appointed him to the Supreme Court, making him its first Black justice. For 24 years, Justice Marshall was a steadfast liberal voice, a fierce defender of individual rights, and a living reminder of the Constitution's promise of equality.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Thurgood was born in 1908, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Thurgood Was Born
The biggest hits of 1908
Thurgood's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1908Born
Ford Model T goes into production
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1913Started school
The Federal Reserve is established
President: Woodrow Wilson
1921Became a teenager
First commercial radio broadcasts
President: Warren G. Harding"My Man" — Fanny Brice
1924Could drive
First Winter Olympics held in Chamonix, France
President: Calvin Coolidge"It Had to Be You" — Isham Jones
1926Could vote
Robert Goddard launches the first liquid-fueled rocket
President: Calvin Coolidge"Baby Face" — Jan Garber
1929Turned 21
Wall Street crashes, triggering the Great Depression
Gas: $0.21/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Singin' in the Rain" — Cliff EdwardsBest Picture: The Broadway Melody
1938Turned 30
Kristallnacht and the escalation toward WWII
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $2,850Min wage: $0.25/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Begin the Beguine" — Artie ShawBest Picture: You Can't Take It with You
1948Turned 40
Israel declares independence; Berlin Blockade begins
Gas: $0.26/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Twelfth Street Rag" — Pee Wee HuntBest Picture: Hamlet
1958Turned 50
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1968Turned 60
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1978Turned 70
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1988Turned 80
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1993Died at 85
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
Key Achievements
- Successfully argued the landmark case Brown v. Board of Education before the Supreme Court in 1954.
- Appointed as the first African American Supreme Court Justice in 1967, serving for 24 years.
- As NAACP counsel, won the case Shelley v. Kraemer, outlawing racially restrictive housing covenants.
- Founded and served as the first director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.
Did You Know?
His original first name was Thoroughgood, which he shortened to Thurgood in second grade.
He was rejected from the University of Maryland Law School due to racial segregation, a school he later successfully sued to integrate.
As a young lawyer, he once narrowly escaped a lynching by fleeing a Tennessee town.
He had a photographic memory and would often recite long passages of law from memory during oral arguments.
“In recognizing the humanity of our fellow beings, we pay ourselves the highest tribute.”
