Peter Marshall (1902–1949) was a Scottish-American preacher and pastor whose eloquent ministry left an indelible mark on mid-20th-century American Christianity, notably as Chaplain of the United States Senate. Born Peter Clement Marshall on May 27, 1902, in Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire, Scotland, he was raised by his mother, Janet, and stepfather after his father’s early death. Growing up in a working-class family, he left school at 14 to work in coal mines and later trained as a machinist at Coatbridge Technical School. Inspired by Eric Liddell’s missionary call during a church talk, Marshall immigrated to the United States in 1927, initially digging ditches in New Jersey before enrolling at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia, where he graduated in 1931. That year, he married Catherine Wood, and they had one son, Peter John. Marshall’s preaching career began with his ordination in 1931, followed by pastorates at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Atlanta (1933–1937) and New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C. (1937–1949). His poetic, heartfelt sermons drew large crowds, earning him a national reputation, and in 1947, he was appointed U.S. Senate Chaplain, serving until his death. Known for prayers like “May we think of freedom not as the right to do as we please, but as the opportunity to do what is right,” he ministered to figures like President Harry S. Truman. His ministry ended abruptly when he died of a heart attack on January 25, 1949, at age 46. Buried in Fort Lincoln Cemetery, Brentwood, Maryland, Marshall’s legacy endures through his wife Catherine’s bestselling biography A Man Called Peter (1951) and its 1955 film adaptation, cementing his status as a preacher of profound faith and cultural influence.