He was born Thoroughgood Marshall on June 2, 1908 in Baltimore, MD.
He was named after a paternal grandfather who chose the name “Thorough Good” for himself when he enlisted in the Union army during the U.S. Civil War.
At the age of six, Marshall legally changed his name to Thurgood to escape the constant teasing.
Marshall’s mother and father were the descendants of enslaved people.
His father, William Canfield Marshall, worked as a railroad porter and later as the staff of a whites-only country club. His mother, Norma Arica Williams, was a teacher.
Marshall’s father would take him and his brother to the courthouse to watch court cases. They would debate the case and discuss current events at the dinner table.