J. Howard Marshall II

Short Biography

James Howard Marshall II (January 24, 1905 – August 4, 1995) was an American business magnate, university professor, attorney, and federal government official. His life spanned more than nine decades and almost the entire history of the oil industry, from the early years when uncontrolled production depleted valuable fields and natural gas was burned at the well head, to the decades of energy shortages and the Arab Oil Embargo. Marshall was married to Anna Nicole Smith during the last 14 months of his life. His estate became the subject of protracted litigation which remains ongoing, part of which was reviewed twice by the Supreme Court in Marshall v. Marshall and Stern v. Marshall.