Where did John Marshall get his education?

Answer 1

John Marshall was born on the Virginia frontier in 1755, at a time when most areas were too under-populated to offer formal education.

Marshall's parents taught him to read and write, and he studied independently until the 1767 (age 12), when he received private tutoring from a Scottish minister who lived with the family for about a year.

In 1772 (age 17), Marshall attended Reverend Archibald Campbell's academy, and read Blackstone's Commentaries (considered the definitive authority on law at that time) at home.

In 1780 (age 25) he attended six weeks of lectures at William & Mary College, and read law under Chancellor George Wythe. Some sources claim he also took a philosophy class from James Madison, who was then President of William & Mary, but Marshall, who carefully documented the content of his other classes, left no evidence supporting this claim.

William & Mary only enrolled about 30 students during the time Marshall attended, and temporarily closed the following year due to the war. Marshall joined the military after his stint in college, and there is no record of further formal education.

Most likely, Marshall read voraciously and may have had access to Lord Fairfax's private library, as did his friend George Washington.