James M. Marsh
Posted on Thu, Jun. 29, 2006/philly.com
James M. Marsh, 92, retired lawyer
By JOHN F. MORRISON
morrisj@phillynews.com 215-854-5573
JIM MARSH called them "incredible circumstances."
There he was, a small-town kid from western Pennsylvania with no expectation of even going to college and certainly not in his wildest dreams could he see himself as a lawyer.
And a Philadelphia lawyer at that.
But those "incredible circumstances" unfolded, and in the span of a little more than a decade, from small town to big city, his life's course was set.
James M. Marsh, a highly respected member of the Philadelphia Bar who continued to practice well into his 80s, and a devoted family man, died Saturday. He was 92 and lived in Rosemont.
He was born to Harry T. and Cecilia Marsh in the small town of Brookville, Pa. Although he got an early taste of the law as a legal assistant in the firm of his cousin, Harold Shannon, the Depression had begun and the future for young folk, however bright and talented they might have been, was sorely limited.
A staunch Democrat, Marsh became manager of the Jefferson County office of the Homeowners Loan Corp., part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal program. The agency was able to avert bank foreclosures on more than 150 local residences.
As war seemed inevitable in 1940, he enlisted in the Army and eventually became a chief warrant officer in the Signal Corps.
It was while he was in the Army that the first "incredible experience" occurred. He was stationed in Philadelphia in 1942, when he met prominent Philadelphia lawyer J. Harry LaBrum, a Signal Corps officer who eventually would become a general.
It was LaBrum who discerned that Marsh would make a good lawyer. Through LaBrum's influence, the young soldier, without an undergraduate degree, began studying law at Temple Law School's Evening Division.
He was still in the Army, and his studies were interrupted by service-related duties, including a tour in Italy.
After the war, he returned to Temple, where he became editor in chief of the Temple Law Quarterly and received his law degree in 1947.
Another "incredible experience" happened during the Nuremburg war-crimes trials when he contacted U.S. Supreme Court Justice Robert H. Jackson, chief prosecutor at the trials, about what he perceived as a lack of coverage of the proceedings by legal journals.
Not only did Marsh succeed in getting more such coverage, but Justice Jackson brought him to Washington as his clerk. A one-year clerkship turned into two and, at its conclusion, Jackson offered to introduce Marsh to some of the major law firms in Philadelphia.
But Marsh felt a sense of loyalty to LaBrum, and decided to join his smaller firm. He eventually became managing partner and oversaw its growth into a major defense litigation firm, LaBrum & Doak.
In 1992, he joined the firm of Hecker, Brown, Sherry & John-son, where he remained until his retirement.
Marsh's expertise was largely in the realm of appellate practice and litigation and in public-contract matters.
During his career, he served as deputy chief counsel to the Pennsylvania state treasurer, was a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association House of Delegates and of the Villanova University Development Council.
He was chairman of the Pennsylvania Legislative Task Force on the Commonwealth Procurement Code, which was signed into law by then-Gov. Tom Ridge in 1998.
He also served on a number of committees of the Philadelphia Bar Association and published articles on legal topics.
Marsh's son, James M. Jr., also a lawyer, said his father had been cherished by his colleagues for his "warmth, integrity, humility and acumen."
Although his father attributed his successes to those "incredible circumstances," his son said they "would not have been possible without his incredible talent, industriousness and humanity, which was obvious to all he met."
"He was a gifted storyteller and humorist, with an anecdote for every occasion," his son said.
Marsh had held season tickets to the Eagles since 1961 and was a big Phillies fan.
He also is survived by his wife of 64 years, the former Antoinette "Toni" Ferraro; two daughters, Frances M. Teti and Michele M. Marsh; a sister, Sister Mary Franceline Marsh, R.S.M.; a brother, Leo H. Marsh, and two grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by two children, Michael Joseph and Paula Marie; a sister, Bernadette Marsh, and a grandson, Christopher Marsh-Lawrence.
Services: Funeral Mass 11 a.m. tomorrow at St. Thomas of Villanova Church, Villanova University campus, Lancaster Avenue, Villanova. Friends may call at 7 tonight at the McConaghy Funeral Home, 328 W. Lancaster Ave., Ardmore, and at 10 tomorrow at the church. Burial will be in Ss. Peter & Paul Cemetery, Marple.
See also:
The Genial Justice
Bio information
Interview
Robert H. Jackson (left) and James M. Marsh |