Marshall Jewell

Apprenticed as a tanner, Marshall Jewell took over his father’s tanning business in 1850.

Pliny Jewell

His father, Pliny, moved to Hartford from Winchester, New Hampshire in 1845. He operated a tannery and leather shop in the city. Pliny’s greatest contribution to the manufacturing world was introducing leather belting as a mechanism for conveying power in place of costly and cumbersome gearing systems.

P. Jewell & Sons

As business expanded, four of Pliny’s five sons joined him in the company that became known as P. Jewell & Sons. Led by Marshall, the company amassed substantial wealth during the Civil War as the price of leather increased significantly during that time.

Marshall’s other business dealings included purchasing a share of the Hartford Evening Post, serving as president of the Jewell Pin Company, and serving as president of the Southern New England Telephone Company.

Politician

In the 1860s, Marshall turned to making his mark as a Republican politician. While he unsuccessfully ran for a senate seat in 1867 and the Governorship in 1868, he successfully secured the seat as Connecticut’s 44th Governor from 1869 until 1870 and again as the 46th Governor from 1871 until 1873.

In 1873, President Ulysses S. Grant appointed Marshall Minister to Russia. He resigned from the position after only seven months. He then served as Postmaster General from 1874 until 1876.

Marshall served as a vice-presidential candidate in the 1876 and 1880 Republican National Conventions but lost to William A. Wheeler and Chester A. Arthur, respectively. From 1880 until his death in 1883, he served as the Chairman of the Republican National Committee.