A Thurgood Marshall timeline: provided by A Deeper Shade of Black .



1930

Mr. Marshall graduates with honors from Lincoln U. (cum laude)

1933

Receives law degree from Howard U. (magna cum laude); begins private practice in Baltimore

Receives law degree from Howard U. (magna cum laude); begins private practice in Baltimore

1934

Begins to work for Baltimore branch of NAACP

1935

With Charles Houston, wins first major civil rights case, Murray v. Pearson

1936

Becomes assistant special counsel for NAACP in New York

1940

Wins first of 29 Supreme Court victories (Chambers v. Florida)

1944

Successfully argues Smith v. Allwright, overthrowing the South's "white primary"

1948

Wins Shelley v. Kraemer, in which Supreme Court strikes down legality of racially restrictive covenants

1950

Wins Supreme Court victories in two graduate-school integration cases, Sweatt v. Painter and McLaurin v. Oklahoma State Regents

1951

Visits South Korea and Japan to investigate charges of racism in U.S. armed forces. He reported that the general practice was one of "rigid segregation".

1954

Wins Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, landmark case that demolishes legal basis for segregation in America

1961

Defends civil rights demonstrators, winning Supreme Circuit Court victory in Garner v. Louisiana; nominated to Second Court of Appeals by President J.F. Kennedy

1961

Appointed circuit judge, makes 112 rulings, all of them later upheld by Supreme Court (1961-1965)

965

Appointed U.S. solicitor general by President Lyndon Johnson; wins 14 of the 19 cases he argues for the government (1965-1967)

1967

Becomes first African American elevated to U.S. Supreme Court (1967-1991)

1991

Retires from the Supreme Court

1993

Dies at 84