Marvin Hugh Smith was born on August 10, 1916, in Federalsburg, Maryland to Jeannette (née Brown) and Charles H.

[2] During World War II, Smith served as a special agent in the U.S. Army Counterintelligence Corps (CIC) from 1941 to his discharge on November 24, 1945.

[1] He served in the Military District of Washington Detachment as Chief of the Review Section at the start of the war.

Smith then served as Chief of the Administrative Section of the 705th CIC Detachment and was assigned to the Air Service Command in Dayton, Ohio.

[1][2] Smith was appointed associate judge on the Maryland Court of Appeals on May 20, 1968, and served in that role until his retirement on August 10, 1986.