The Marvelous Mr. Marvel

Businessman, attorney, farmer and policy shaper—Josiah Marvel is the man behind the Delaware State Chamber’s prestigious award

BY PAM GEORGE | IMAGES PROVIDED BY CSC

FOR 75 YEARS, the prestigious Josiah Marvel Cup has symbolized outstanding contributions to the state, community, or society. Past recipients include environmentalist Governor Russell Peterson; Governor Pierre S. du Pont IV; Sally V. Hawkins of WILM; entrepreneur John W. Rollins Sr.; philanthropist Brother Ronald Giannone; legal and philanthropic fixture O. Francis Biondi, Esq.; President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden; and, in 2024, Gary R. Stockbridge, past region president of Delmarva Power.

The cup is named for Josiah P. Marvel, the first president of the modern-day Delaware State Chamber. Marvel was a powerful influencer in multiple circles. The attorney helped write the General Corporation Law and co-founded Wilmington-based Corporation Service Company, now CSC, which has clients worldwide. The Delaware native was also passionate about bettering his home state. He was an educator, civic leader, and philanthropist.

In short, Josiah Marvel embodies the spirit of the award.

A Renaissance Man

In a 1918 Evening Journal profile, Josiah Marvel was dubbed the “sunny and successful son of sandy and salubrious Sussex.” The text called him a lawyer, farmer, Democrat, road builder, before-dinner, during-dinner, after-dinner, and between-meals speaker, public-spirited citizen, and Persian cat panegyrist. He was a delight to his friends and a “thorn in the side of his enemies.”

Marvel was born on January 18, 1866, in Georgetown, Delaware, the seat of Sussex County. His parents were Josiah Marvel, a Sussex County sheriff, treasurer, and prothonotary, and Harriet Pepper Marvel. The couple wed in 1850 and raised 13 children on a centuries-old homestead between Georgetown and Seaford.

Marvel’s older brother, David, was an attorney, and Marvel left teaching to become a lawyer. Together, they formed Marvel, Marvel & Wolcott. The younger brother, who specialized in business, saw that New Jersey was reaping the financial rewards of a General Corporation Law, which made it easier for companies to incorporate.

Marvel helped draft Delaware’s legislation, and when it passed in 1899, the enterprising lawyer founded the Delaware Charter Guarantee & Trust Company, which later merged with Christopher Ward’s Corporate Company of Delaware. Their union produced CSC.

Registered agents and incorporation services were new in the early 20th century, which gave Marvel time to pursue other interests, including the local Board of Trade, founded in 1837.

The group had sputtered and reorganized several times, and in 1912, members voted to join the National Chamber of Commerce and drop the National Board of Trade affiliation. On December 23, 1913, the group met under the Chamber of Commerce title, and President Marvel addressed members.

The attorney was comfortable in leadership roles. In 1923, he became president of the newly formed Delaware State Bar Association. He oversaw committees on law reform, legal biography, grievances, membership, American citizenship, the code of ethics, and bar admission.

The Delaware native was also passionate about bettering his home state. He was an educator, civic leader, and philanthropist. In short, Josiah Marvel embodies the spirit of the award.

Making an Imprint

Marvel had a seemingly endless supply of energy. In addition to being the State Chamber president, he was the acting state food administrator and state highway commissioner. In 1919, Marvel and prominent Wilmington businesspeople, including the du Ponts, founded Tower Hill School, and at least five of Marvel’s eight children were students.

Outside the office, Marvel pursued a passion for nature. He and his wife, Mary Bell Jackson, owned a rural Centreville property named Nanticoke for his hometown near the Nanticoke River. He raised chickens, cows, and horses, and the Evening Journal profile noted that his farm gave him the greatest happiness.

In 1928, after the Democrats’ defeat, Marvel spearheaded a successful reorganization, and it was assumed that he’d be the U.S. Senate nominee. However, he suffered a surprising loss so grave that many believed it hastened his death. Marvel had a fatal heart attack on October 11, 1930. He was 64 and had recently been elected president of the American Bar Association.

“Seldom has the death of any one man thrown an entire state into such sincere mourning as did that of Mr. Marvel,” according to editors’ response in the Every Evening newspaper, which called Marvel “a good citizen who set a splendid example.” The genial Marvel was “a clean thinker and had a clean liver, genial, conscientious, he was a man among men, while his home life was one of devotion to family and friends. He will be greatly missed.”

The Marvel Cup symbolizes his dedication to his state and community. While Marvel left big shoes to fill, the recipients of the State Chamber’s highest honor are up to the task.

In 1950, the Delaware State Chamber announced that a committee would bestow the first Josiah Marvel Cup in 1951. The first recipient was Dr. M. A. Tarumianz, the Delaware State Hospital superintendent, who received the same cup that the State Chamber bestowed to Marvel for his contributions. (The family had given it to the chamber.)

Over the years, Josiah Marvel’s son, William, frequently presented the cup at the Annual Dinner. In 1982, the vice chancellor of the Delaware Court of Chancery was the recipient. “I never dreamed that I would present it to myself,” the judge said. “The closest I ever came to the cup was when it was on the sideboard in my father’s dining room.”

Marvel left a large family, and for years, the relatives gathered at the Georgetown farm for a reunion. His impact lives on in other respects. The Marvel Cup symbolizes his dedication to his state and community. While Marvel left big shoes to fill, the recipients of the State Chamber’s highest honor are up to the task.