Born in Pennsylvania, James Howard Marshall, II (1905-1995) graduated from the Yale Law School in 1931 and went on to specialize as an oil industry attorney. Eventually winding up in Houston, Texas, he served as president and vice president for numerous oil and energy companies, including the Ashland Oil and Refining Company, Signal Oil & Gas, and Union Texas Petroleum. He founded Marshall Petroleum in 1984.
In 1931, Marshall married Eleanor Pierce, with whom he had sons James Howard, III, and Everett Pierce Marshall. After divorcing in 1961, he married Bettye Bohannon (d. 1991). In 1994, Marshall married future actress Anna Nicole Smith. After his death the next year, his widow and his sons made headlines in a legal battle over Marshall's billion-dollar estate.
From the guide to the Marshall, J. Howard, II, Papers 86-090., [ca. 1920s]-1980 (bulk 1950s-1960s), (Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin)
