Bettye Bohannon Biography, Marriage, Husband, Death, Net worth

Who is Bettye Bohannon? 

Bettye Bohannon also known as Bettye Marshall is widely known for being the second wife of J. Howard Marshall II. J. Howard Marshall II was a prominent American businessman, government official, and academic. He is notable for his involvement with and investment in the petroleum sector through commercial, academic, and government enterprises, owning about 16% of Koch Industries.

From her biography to details about her romantic union with billionaire businessman, J. Howard Marshall II, I would share facts about Bettye Bohannon, and other interesting things you may or may not have read about her. Before I continue, let’s take a quick look at her profile summary.

Bettye Bohannon Biography 

Bettye Bohannon was born Bettye Bessie Bohannon on Tuesday, December 9, 1902, in Tennessee, Nashville, in the Southeastern part of the United States of America. She was raised by her deceased US-born parents, William Hopkins Bohannon and Stella Bohannon. And, enjoyed the company of her two siblings Mary Gladys Hensley (nee Bohannon), and her other sibling whose name is not reported.

Allen Robert Mitchell is given as the name of her stepfather-in-law. Her grandmother-in-law was Abigail Mitchell, while her grandfather-in-law was James Howard Marshall I. Samuel Furman Marshall Jr. is the name of her brother-in-law whereas Sara T. Marshall and Ethel Marshal were the names of her aunts-in-law among whom may have been attendees of her wedding party. These amongst other close family members, including Bettye’s sister, Mary Gladys Hensley may have been in attendance. 

She was supposed to be 120 years old if she were still alive. Nonetheless, she held American citizenship by birth and was categorized as White-American by ethnicity. More so, she has a dark brown pair of beautiful eyes, a white skin color, and light brown short hair, which had turned gray at the time of her death. Information regarding her educational background, height & weight parameters, and career portfolio is unknown. 

Bettye Bohannon Marriage, Death 

Bettye Bessie Bohannon was married to J. Howard Marshall II. Bessie and Howard tied their wedding knot in a church wedding ceremony that was held at the State of Tennessee on Sunday, December 10, 1961. She was 59 years old at the time while her husband was 56 years old. In attendance at the officiating ceremony of their marriage were her parents, William Hopkins Bohannon and Stella Bohannon, her father-in-law, Samuel Furman Marshall, and her mother-in-law, Annabelle Marshall. 

Accordingly, Bettye Bessie Bohannon, and J. Howard Marshall II’s union lasted for about three decades. Their marriage ended on Thursday, September 12, 1991, after she was confirmed dead. She died from Alzheimer’s disease and was 88 years old at the time of her death. She was buried at Cookeville City Cemetery at Cookeville, Putnam County, Tennessee, USA.

Three years later after Betty’s death, in 1994, Marshall got married to 26-year-old model Anna Nicole Smith after a brief affair with Diane Walker. James’s marriage with Anna lasted until his death 14 months later.

Whether or not the couple had a child(ren) while their union lasted is unknown. Nonetheless, Bettye’s husband, J. Howard has two children from his marriage to his first wife, Eleanor Marshall (nee Pierce), with whom he got married in 1931 and divorced in 1961, to marry Bettye Bohannon. Their two children are named James Howard Marshall III (born on February 6, 1936; 86 years old), and E. Pierce Marshall, born on January 12, 1939, and died June 20, 2006, at the age of 67.

Bettye Bohannon Husband 

Bettye Bessie Bohannon’s husband, James Howard Marshall was born on January 24, 1905, in Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. He spent most of his formative years in Quaker, USA, along with his brother, Samuel Furman Marshall Jr. He had his high school education at a private high school in Newton, Pennsylvania named George School. Later, he enrolled at the prestigious Haverford College, where he graduated with a degree in Liberal Arts in 1926 at the age of 21. 

After Haverford College, Bettye’s husband, James, proceeded to the famed Yale Law School, where he graduated Magna cum Laude in 1931 at 26. During his years at George School and Haverford College, reports say he headed the debate teams, edited the schools’ newspapers, and was also involved with sporting activities, till his graduation. Even so, he became the case editor at the Yale Law Journal during his years at Yale Law School. 

While he lived a very good and fulfilled life, James Howard Marshall was hard-working and made a lot of investments in real estate and in the petroleum industry. According to sources, his estate was estimated to be worth about $1.6 billion at the time of his death. He died on August 4, 1995, in Harris County, Texas, USA, at the ripe age of 90. 

Bettye Bohannon Net worth 

Bettye Bessie Bohannon does not have an estimated net worth at the time of her death in 1991. However, at the point of her husband’s death, he had an estimated net worth of over $2 million which she enjoyed. He earned his net worth and fortune from his career as an entrepreneur, businessman, lawyer, government official, and academic. 

On a rather unrelated note; they are many people who are named Bettye Bohannon, Bettye Marshall, and even Bettye Bessie Bohannon, including Bettye L. Hammons (nee Bohannon, born on October 25, 1939) who was also a resident of Memphis, Tennessee, and was said to have died on Monday, February 14, 2022, from COVID-19 complications. This short note is to reiterate that the “Bettye Bohannon” we discussed in this article is the billionaire businessman J. Howard Marshall II’s second wife. 

Share your thoughts on Bettye Bohannon’s profile rundown. Is she one of your favorite celebrity spouses? When did you first hear about her now-deceased husband, J? Howard Marshall II? Let’s have a chit-chat about it in the comments section.