Why was Thurgood Marshall famous? Thurgood Marshall was born on July 2, 1908 in Baltimore, MD. He was born to his mother Norma Marshall and father William Marshall. In his life he was a civil rights activist, a lawyer, a circuit court judge and attorney general, and a chief justice. He died at the age of 84 on January 24, 1993. He was married twice in his life, first to Vivien "Buster" Burey until her death in 1955, then to Cecilia Suyat until her death. He had two children with his second wife Thurgood Marshall. Jr. and John W. Marshall. Thurgood Marshall attended Frederick Douglass High School and graduated with an above-average grade in 1926. Three years later he married his first wife Vivian Burey on September 4, 1929 at the age of 21. He attended Lincoln University College in 1930. He graduated in 1933 with honors. After college he applied to the University of Maryland Law School. Even though he was academically overqualified he was still denied because of his race. He then applied to Howard Law School, a historically black school. Once he graduated from law school, Marshall attempted to start his own practice but was unable because he had no experience and failed to get any cases. Thurgood then began working for the Baltimore branch of the National Association the Advancement of Colored People in 1934. In one of his first cases Marshall defended Donald Murray. He was denied admission to the University of Maryland Law School. Marshall and Charles Houston won Murray v. Pearson in January 1935. Marshall's most important case as a lawyer was Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka. Thurgood was appointed legal director of the NAACP in 1939. In 1940 Thurgood prepared his first brief to the Supreme Court in Houses v. Florida the NAACP sought to o...... half of the document ...... – Thurgood Marshall14. "None of us got where we are just by pulling ourselves up by our boot laces. We got here because someone - a parent, a teacher, an Ivy League friend, or some nun - bent down and helped us pick up our boots." - Thurgood Marshall15. “Our entire constitutional heritage revolts at the thought of giving government the power to control the minds of men.” - Thurgood Marshall16. “The measure of a country's greatness is its ability to maintain compassion in times of crisis.” – Thurgood Marshall Resources/Bibliography1. Thurgood Marshall." 2014. The Biography Channel website. March 3, 2014, 5:26 am http://www.biography.com/people/thurgood-marshall-9400241.2. Aldred, Lisa. Thurgood Marshall. New York: Chelsea House , 1990 . Print.3 "Quotes by Thurgood Marshall".. 2014 .