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The Great John Marshall, Part 2

Next we examine Marshall’s service as envoy to the French government during the infamous XYZ affair and his short tenures in Congress and as secretary of state.
The Great John Marshall, Part 2
Portrait of John Adams by Gilbert Stuart, 1810–1815. Public domain
Rob Natelson
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Commentary
The previous installment in this series described Chief Justice John Marshall’s early life and his contributions to the ratification of the Constitution. This Part 2 examines his continuing career: his service as envoy to the French government during the infamous XYZ affair and his short tenures in Congress and as secretary of state.
Rob Natelson
Rob Natelson
Author
Robert G. Natelson, a former constitutional law professor who is senior fellow in constitutional jurisprudence at the Independence Institute in Denver, authored “The Original Constitution” (4th ed., 2025). He is a contributor to the Heritage Foundation’s “Heritage Guide to the Constitution.”