Samuel Taylor Marshall

Samuel Taylor Marshall (February 6, 1812 – June 13, 1895) was an American attorney, government official, and fraternity founder. He was one of the founders of Beta Theta Pi, a college fraternity founded at Miami University in 1839. Marshall served as the sergeant-at-arms of the Iowa legislature.

Early life Marshall was born February 6, 1812, in Oxford, Ohio. His parents were Mary Hueston and Gilbert Marshall, a farmer. He was one of ten children and completed his primary education in local county schools. While at Miami, he was one of the eight founders of Beta Theta Pi fraternity. He wrote the fraternity's constitution and its by-laws. However, once Marshall had recruited ten members, they wore a fraternity pin in public. In 1847, Marshall moved his practice to Keokuk, Iowa where he became a prominent attorney. In 1898, the fraternity erected a memorial to Marshall and its other founders at Miami University. Beta Theta Pi named its Samuel Tayor Marshall Memorial Scholarship in his honor.

Personal life Marshall married Louisa Davis Patterson, a native of Kentucky, in West Point on February 26, 1846. He was also a member of the Masons.

His daughter, Maude, bequeathed $5,000 ($ in today's money) to the Miami University chapter of Beta Theta Pi in 1955.