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Thurgood Marshall
was born on July 2, 1908 in Baltimore, Maryland. He
graduated from Lincoln University in Pennsylvania and Howard
University School of Law in Washington, D.C.
In 1933, after law
school, Marshall returned to Baltimore to practice law. Many
of his clients could not afford his fee but he represented
them in court anyway. He became known as the "little man's
lawyer." From 1938-1950, Marshall served as the main lawyer
for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored
People (NAACP.) He represented people in civil rights cases
all over the United States. He was extremely gifted and
successful. Some people felt that he knew the United States
Constitution better than anyone.
In 1954, Marshall
represented Oliver Brown in one of the most famous cases
ever presented before the United States Supreme Court. That
case was entitled Brown vs. Board of Education. Oliver Brown was a black railroad worker. He sued the
Topeka, Kansas board of education because they would not
allow his daughter to attend the school that was near their
home. The school was an "all white" school. The court ruled
in favor of Brown and this led to desegregation of schools
and other institutions throughout the United
States.
In 1961, Marshall
was appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals. In 1965,
President Lyndon B. Johnson nominated him for Solicitor
General of the United States (the lawyer for the U.S.) Then
in 1967, President Johnson nominated him to become an
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. He served as a
Supreme Court justice until his retirement in
1991.
Thurgood Marshall
died in 1993.
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