Marshall, Thomas R

Marshall, Thomas R(iley)

(born March 14, 1854, North Manchester, Ind., U.S.—died June 1, 1925, Washington, D.C.) U.S. politician. As governor of Indiana (1909–13) he sponsored a broad program of social legislation. In 1912 he was elected vice president on a ticket with Woodrow Wilson. He became the first vice president in nearly 100 years to serve two terms (1913–21). When Wilson suffered a stroke that partially paralyzed him in 1919, Marshall refused to assume the powers of the presidency without a congressional resolution and written requests from first lady Edith Wilson and the president's doctor. A popular public official, he was heard to remark during a tedious debate, “What this country needs is a really good five-cent cigar.”