He was decorated for his service as a Marine pilot during World War II and the Korean War. He later was a certified public accountant in Dallas but always maintained his military ties, becoming a general in the Marine Reserve. It was kind of a pull-yourself-up-by-the-bootstraps story, ;He learned to work hard and had incredible self-discipline as a boy growing up in Kentucky. He worked his way through school and really wanted to serve his country. Gen. Mulberry was born in Scott County, Ky., and was a University of Kentucky student when he joined the Navy in 1941. He received the Distinguished Flying Cross and an Air Medal with one Silver Star – signifying he had earned six of that award – for his combat service as a Marine dive bomber pilot in the South Pacific during World War II. Late in the war, he was assigned to air groups in California and served aboard two aircraft carriers. After the war, he earned his bachelor's degree in finance and accounting from George Washington University, graduating in 1948. He then received an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in 1949. Gen. Mulberry was a Dallas CPA for more than 50 years. He was with Elmer Fox, Westheimer & Co. when he retired in 1980. In 1951, Gen. Mulberry was recalled to active duty to serve as a pilot and aviation operations officer during the Korean War. He received his seventh Air Medal while assigned to the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing in Korea. After he was released from active duty in 1953, Gen. Mulberry served in several posts, including executive officer and commanding officer for detachments at Naval Air Station Dallas. In 1969, he was promoted to brigadier general and was named assistant commander of the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing. He was the first officer assigned to the No. 2 slot in the Marine Air Reserve's nationwide command of 28 subordinate units. In 1970, he was named to the Reserve Forces Policy Board at the Pentagon, where he served three years. He moved to Washington, D.C., in 1980 after President Ronald Reagan appointed him to be inspector general for the Interior Department. In 1984, he returned to Dallas, where his civic activities included being a docent at the Frontiers of Flight Museum in Dallas.

Marriott is the son of Alice Marriott and J. Willard Marriott, the founder of Marriott International. He attended St. Albans School in Washington, DC, and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in finance from the University of Utah, where he became a member of Sigma Chi. He served as an officer in the United States Navy. He is also an Eagle Scout and recipient of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. Marriott joined the Marriott Corporation in 1956, was elected Executive Vice President and member of the Board of Directors in January 1964 and president of the company in November 1964, Chief Executive Officer in 1972, and Chairman of the Board in 1985.