Governor Thomas Riley Marshall

THOMAS R. MARSHALL, Indiana’s twenty-seventh governor, was born in North Manchester, Indiana, on March 14, 1854. In 1873, he graduated from Wabash College, and went on to study law under Judge Walter Olds. He was admitted to the bar in 1875, and established a successful legal practice in Columbia City, Indiana. Marshall entered politics in 1909, serving as governor of Indiana, an office he held four years. During his tenure, a child labor law, as well as an employers’ liability law were initiated, a state board of accounts was established, and a voter’s registration law was instituted. Marshall also tried to achieve a new state constitution, but failed to get it approved. In 1912, Marshall won the Democratic nomination and was elected vice president of the United States. He was reelected to a second term in 1916. After finishing his term as vice president, Marshall retired from politics and returned to his law career. He stayed active, serving on the board of trustees for Wabash College, lecturing across the country, and writing Recollections, which was published in 1925. Governor Thomas R. Marshall died on June 1, 1925, and was buried at the Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis, Indiana.