2025 SESSION
ENROLLED
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 564
Celebrating the life of the Honorable Henry Levander Marsh, III.
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, February 3, 2025
Agreed to by the Senate, February 6, 2025
WHEREAS, the Honorable Henry Levander Marsh, III, a titan of the Richmond legal community whose efforts as a civil rights attorney and public servant transformed both the city and the Commonwealth, died on January 23, 2025; and
WHEREAS, born and raised in Richmond, Henry Marsh graduated with honors from Maggie L. Walker High School and Virginia Union University before earning a juris doctor degree from Howard University in 1959; and
WHEREAS, Henry Marsh served his country with honor and distinction as a member of the United States Army before beginning his law career in 1961 alongside the renowned civil rights attorneys Oliver W. Hill, Sr., and Samuel W. Tucker; and
WHEREAS, Henry Marsh later became a partner and formed the law firm Hill, Tucker and Marsh, which represented plaintiffs in several landmark cases that challenged segregation in schools and racial discrimination in employment, achieving legal victories that secured greater civil rights protections for countless individuals; and
WHEREAS, Henry Marsh was elected to Richmond City Council in 1966, then selected by his fellow councilmembers as vice mayor in 1970 and as mayor in 1977, becoming the first Black mayor in the city's history; and
WHEREAS, Henry Marsh faithfully served as mayor of Richmond until 1982 and on the Richmond City Council until 1991, when he was elected to the Senate of Virginia, where he represented the newly formed 16th Senate District, which at the time included Petersburg, Dinwiddie County, and parts of Chesterfield County, Prince George County, and Richmond; and
WHEREAS, Henry Marsh retired from the Senate of Virginia in 2014 after more than two decades of dedicated service and was shortly thereafter appointed to serve as a commissioner of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board by Governor Terry McAuliffe; and
WHEREAS, beyond his public service, Henry Marsh fostered the growth and development of Richmond as a co-founder of the Metropolitan Economic Development Council and what is today Venture Richmond; and
WHEREAS, Henry Marsh's legacy in Richmond and at the General Assembly grew significantly over the years through the generous mentorship he provided to many of the city's and state's elected leaders; and
WHEREAS, in addition to receiving a plethora of awards from various notable organizations, Henry Marsh was recently honored by the rededication of the Henry L. Marsh, III Elementary School and the Henry L. Marsh III and Harold M. Marsh, Sr. Manchester Courthouse in Richmond; and
WHEREAS, preceded in death by his loving wife of 58 years, Diane, Henry Marsh will be fondly remembered and dearly missed by his children, Nadine, Sonya, and Dwayne, and their families, and by numerous other family members and friends; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of the Honorable Henry Levander Marsh, III, a pillar of the Richmond community who epitomized what one can achieve through advocacy and service; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of the Honorable Henry Levander Marsh, III, as an expression of the General Assembly's respect for his memory.