Henry L. Marsh III, 91, Was Trailblazing Virginia Lawyer, Political Leader

By Rosaland Tyler
Associate Editor
New Journal and Guide

Four years before Richmond’s first Black mayor died at age 91 on Jan. 23, Henry L. Marsh III returned to the neighborhood where he grew up and aimed a pair of shiny scissors at a bright red ribbon located in front of a gleaming new $42 million grade school that bears his name.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony was held in the Church Hill section of Richmond in September 2021. This means it was held the year after he buried his wife of 58 years – his college sweetheart at Virginia Union University – Dr. Diane Harris Marsh, a trailblazing dentist, who died at age 84 in September 2020.

Earlier, in 2018, he was busy promoting his newly released 232-page autobiography, “The Memoirs of Hon. Henry L. Marsh III, Civil Rights Champion, Public Servant, Lawyer.” But the book was released about four years after former Gov. Terry McAuliffe named Marsh to the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Commission in 2014.

He was a busy man, in other words. Being productive was the story of his life. Marsh served in the Senate for 22 years and retired.

An outpouring of condolences included tributes from local city council members, former Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney, leaders in Congress and two former Virginia governors: Gov. Doug Wilder and Gov. Terry McAuliffe. The tributes describe Marsh as a  “trailblazer,” “extraordinary individual” and a “true statesman.”

Marsh, the son of a waiter, told the audience at the ribbon cutting ceremony at Henry L. Marsh III Elementary School in 2021 that humble beginnings aren’t necessarily an obstacle. Clearly, he turned his obstacles into stepping stones. Marsh may have grown up enduring Jim Crow signs, voter poll taxes, literacy tests, inferior schools, and being forced to the back of a public bus to accommodate whites.

But step-by-step, Marsh succeeded.

“Daily affronts to my dignity motivated me to do something constructive,” Marsh wrote.

At his book-signing on July 21, 2018 at the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia, Adele Johnson, executive director of the museum, told the Richmond Free Press, “It is great to hear the stories by the man that made the stories. Everyone needs to read this book because we don’t know this kind of history,” she continued. “We don’t know the inside stories. That’s what we are always looking for at the museum – the story behind the story.”

Marsh finished law school at Howard University in 1959. His wife graduated from the dental school at Howard in 1961, according to her obituary. “The couple returned to Richmond where Dr. Marsh set up her dental practice in her father’s medical office at 2906 Q St. Mr. Marsh, meanwhile, began a civil rights law firm with Samuel W. Tucker where he practiced for 50 years.”

His political career began when he was first elected to Richmond City Council in 1966, as one of 16 candidates seeking nine at-large seats. “My two-year stint turned into a 25-year commitment,” he wrote. In 1968, Black candidates backed by the business community lost, while Marsh won reelection.

He served as Richmond’s mayor from 1977 to 1982, at a time when Cleveland’s Carl Stokes, Atlanta’s Maynard Jackson and Detroit’s Coleman Young were blazing trails. He represented Richmond in the state Senate for 22 years, from 1992 to 2014.

His children, Dwayne S. Marsh, Sonya Marsh-Craft and Nadine Marsh-Carter, said in a recent statement: “We are in gratitude – for his life, his commitment to this community, and his legacy as a servant leader. We’ve all learned from his example, anchored in integrity, grounded by equity, and elevating all people” to fulfill their greatest potential.

“We are also deeply appreciative for the outpouring of condolences and support that has already cascaded our way. It just illuminates how many lives our father had the privilege to touch.”

Congressman Bobby Scott issued the following statement on the passing of former Virginia Senator Henry Marsh III:

“Senator Marsh was a trailblazer and a champion for the City of Richmond, as well as for civil rights across the Commonwealth of Virginia. He was on the frontlines of the fight to integrate schools in Virginia following the landmark case of Brown v. Board of Education and his law firm, Hill, Tucker and Marsh, filed more employment discrimination lawsuits than any law firm in the Commonwealth.

“While he is widely recognized for making history as the first Black American elected Mayor of Richmond, he should also be remembered for his relentless advocacy for the city and his efforts to transform and revitalize it. I had the privilege of serving with him in the Senate of Virginia and can personally attest to his character, commitment to public service, and dedication to advocacy.

“I extend my condolences to his family and all those whose lives were impacted by his remarkable career in public service.”