Thomas Riley Marshall
| Thomas R. Marshall | |
|---|---|
 |
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| 28th Vice President of the United States | |
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In office March 4, 1913 – March 4, 1921 |
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| President | Woodrow Wilson |
| Preceded by | James S. Sherman |
| Succeeded by | Calvin Coolidge |
| 27th Governor of Indiana | |
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In office January 11, 1909 – January 13, 1913 |
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| Lieutenant | Frank J. Hall |
| Preceded by | Frank Hanly |
| Succeeded by | Samuel M. Ralston |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Thomas Riley Marshall March 14, 1854 North Manchester, Indiana |
| Died | June 1, 1925 (aged 71) Washington, D.C. |
| Resting place | Crown Hill Cemetery, Indianapolis, Indiana |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Lois Irene Kimsey Marshall |
| Children | Morrison "Izzy" Marshall (foster son) |
| Alma mater | Wabash College |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Signature |  |
Thomas Riley Marshall (March 14, 1854 – June 1, 1925) was an American Democratic politician who served as the 28th Vice President of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A prominent lawyer in Indiana, he became an active and well known member of the Indiana Democratic Party by stumping across the state for other candidates and organizing party rallies that later helped him win election as the 27th Governor of Indiana. In office, he proposed a controversial and progressive state constitution and pressed for other progressive era reforms. The Republican minority used the state courts to block the attempt to change the constitution.
His popularity as governor, and Indiana's status as a critical swing state, helped him secure the Democratic vice presidential nomination on a ticket with Wilson in 1912 and win the subsequent general election. An ideological rift developed between the two men during their first term, leading Wilson to limit Marshall's influence in the administration, and his brand of humor caused Wilson to move Marshall's office away from the White House. During Marshall's second term he delivered morale-boosting speeches across the nation during World War I and became the first vice president to hold cabinet meetings, which he did while Wilson was in Europe. While he was president in the United States Senate, a small number of anti-war senators kept it deadlocked by refusing to end debate. To enable critical wartime legislation to be passed, Marshall had the body adopt its first procedural rule allowing filibusters to be ended by a two-thirds majority vote—a variation of this rule remains in effect.
Marshall's vice presidency is most remembered for a leadership crisis following a stroke that incapacitated Wilson in October 1919. Because of their personal dislike for him, Wilson's advisers and wife Edith sought to keep Marshall uninformed about the president's condition to prevent him from easily assuming the presidency. Many people, including cabinet officials and Congressional leaders, urged Marshall to become acting president, but he refused to forcibly assume the presidency for fear of setting a precedent. Without strong leadership in the executive branch, the administration's opponents defeated the ratification of the League of Nations treaty and effectively returned the United States to an isolationist foreign policy. Marshall is also the only known Vice President of the United States to have been exclusively targeted in an assassination attempt while in office.
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