John Marshall Statue (Huntington, West Virginia)

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Location: In a circular piazza, between the Drinko Library and the Memorial Students Center, facing John Marshall Drive.

Designers: William Behrends of Tryon, N.C.
Completed: October 23rd, 1998
Name: For John Marshall, who served in the Revolutionary War, pioneered
the West Virginia territory and served as the fourth chief jus-tice of the Supreme Court. This 8 foot statue stands outside and consists of a bronze portrait figure of John Marshall, mounted on a stone pedestal approximately 6 1/2 ft. in height. The figure portrays John Marshall in his judicial robes, stepping forward. The book held in the left hand symbolizes Marshall’s early education at home in the Virginia frontier, which later bore fruit in a concise writing style and clarity of reasoning. The use of a the stepped plinth and socle elevates the bronze figure for optimum visual impact, without an massive base. The plinth’s steps serve as informal seating. The 6 foot base is engraved with the words "Revolutionary soldier. Definer of the Constitution. Devoted husband and father." This statue, with its immediate surroundings, is one of the points of interest that define a network of radiated pedestrian paths through the inner campus.