Marshall began his career in 1961 at
General Motors as an engine
test engineer, followed by a brief tour with the
United States Navy. After leaving the Navy in 1965, Marshall worked as an analyst for
Loeb, Rhoades & Co., an
investment bank in New York. In 1980, the four sons of
Fred C. Koch fought over control of
Koch Industries, founded by their father.
J. Howard Marshall III sided with
Bill Koch and
Frederick R. Koch, while Pierce and his father sided with
Charles Koch and
David Koch, resulting in
J. Howard Marshall buying back the shares he had previously given J. Howard Marshall III. He led Electron through a successful turnaround, saving over 300 jobs in
Littleton, Colorado and
Blackwell, Oklahoma. In the end, the courts ruled that Marshall III and Smith had no rights to the estate. Although Pierce did not like the spotlight and dealing with lawyers, he refused to settle the cases because he believed he was fighting a crusade to honor the final wishes of his father. ==Death==