Marshall served as secretary of state for less than a year at the end of John Adam's administration. In January 1801, he was appointed chief justice of the Supreme Court, although he continued to serve as Adam's secretary of state until the end of the administration on March 4 of that year. Marshall's short tenure as secretary of state meant that while he oversaw and collected local results from the 1800 census, his successor James Madison actually combined and certified the results.

John Marshall was born in 1755 in Fauquier County, Virginia. He served as an officer in the Continental Army during the American Revolution, leaving the military as the war wound down in order to practice law. He went on to serve as a state legislator and later as a special envoy to France. During this mission to France, Marshall became entangled in the famous XYZ Affair; a diplomatic spat that almost led to war between France and the United States. Marshall went on to serve briefly in the House of Representatives before being appointed secretary of state. His most famous position was as chief justice of the United States. In this capacity he expanded and solidified the powers of the federal judiciary, especially the Supreme Court. Marshall served as chief justice until his death in July 1835.