Anthony Marshall, great-grandson of Prudential founder, dies at 90

Brooke Astor was sued by Vincent Astor's half-brother, John Jacob Astor VI, for persuading Vincent to amend his will in her favor when he was ill in 1958. After pretrial hearings, John Jacob Astor settled his claim for $250,000, according to "The Last Mrs. Astor." The estate was valued at $127 million.

Anthony Marshall attended private schools and enlisted in the Marines at 18, becoming a captain and earning a Purple Heart for a leg wound during the Battle of Iwo Jima. He attended Brown University, graduating in 1950.

He worked at the State Department in the 1950s and at the Central Intelligence Agency, where — in addition to helping administer the U-2 program — he was stationed in Turkey as an undercover CIA recruiter, he said in a 1998 oral history for the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training.

Starting in 1960, Marshall was president of African Research & Development Co., which invested in enterprises such as Nigerian Doughnut Co., based in Lagos and partnered with U.S. companies doing business in Africa.

Diplomatic career

In 1969, he was appointed ambassador to the Malagasy Republic — now known as Madagascar — which ejected him in 1971 after the country's president accused him of fomenting a coup.

Marshall went on to serve as ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago; Kenya; and the Seychelles, according to State Department records.

Marshall helped his mother manage her money and, in later years, took a salary for his services. He produced plays on Broadway, including "Alice in Wonderland," a flop that closed in 1983 after 21 performances, and two Tony-winning hits, the 2003 best revival winner "Long Day's Journey Into Night" and the 2004 best play winner "I Am My Own Wife."

In 2006, Marshall's son Philip Marshall filed suit alleging Marshall mistreated the ailing Astor, his grandmother, and mismanaged her funds. Later that year, a settlement was reached in which a new guardian was appointed. After Astor died, he was indicted by the Manhattan District Attorney for fraud and larceny.

Star witnesses

The trial generated banner headlines and featured star witnesses testifying on behalf of Astor, including former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and NBC anchor Barbara Walters. Marshall was convicted on 14 of 16 counts.

Marshall was married in 1947 to Elizabeth Cynthia Cryan, with whom he had two sons, Alexander Russell Marshall and Philip Cryan Marshall. They divorced and, in 1962, he married Thelma Hoegnell. After that marriage ended in divorce, Marshall married Charlene Gilbert in 1992.