II.

Early Career

As a member of the Virginia Assembly from 1782 to 1791, Marshall worked for ratification of the U.S. Constitution and became a prominent member of the Federalist Party. In 1795 he turned down George Washington's appointment of U.S. attorney general; he later declined appointment as a minister to France. After Marshall's second term in the Virginia Assembly (1795-1797), however, Washington prevailed upon him to serve as a member of a commission to arbitrate diplomatic affairs with France (see XYZ Affair). Although the mission failed, Marshall's activities in this dispute made him a popular figure and earned him a monetary reward from Congress. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1799, where he acted as spokesman for the Federalist Party. In 1800 he became secretary of state in the cabinet of President John Adams, and a year later Adams appointed him chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Marshall held this office for 34 years until his death.