[2] Born in Annapolis, Maryland, to George Lee Magruder and Henrietta Sanford Randall Magruder, he attended private schools and later entered St. John's College.
After leaving college, he began the study of law in the office of Alexander B. Hagner in Baltimore.
He was afterward elected judge of the circuit composed of Anne Arundel and Calvert counties, and after a change in the Constitution, was elected to the bench of the district composed of Calvert, Charles, St. Mary's and Prince George's counties.
[1] Magruder ran for election to the seat later that year as a Democrat, but was narrowly defeated by Republican candidate Frederick Stone.
Magruder died at his home in Annapolis at the age of 80, having been in grave condition for several weeks.