George C. Marshall
Called "One for the Ages" and " The greatest living American" by Harry Truman,(1) George C. Marshall was also honored by author Matthew Ridgway when he wrote, "The combat soldier never had a better and more understanding friend than George C. Marshall. With the burdens of a global war upon his shoulders, he never forgot the man with the rifle..." (2)When Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson, a veteran of seven administrations, left Washington he said to Marshall, "I have seen a great many soldiers in my lifetime and you, sir, are the finest soldier I have ever known."(3)
Descended from the same family as John Marshall, the first chief justice of the United States, George Catlett Marshall, Jr., was born on December 31, 1880 in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, the youngest of four children. An average student in every subject but history, George found his heros while reading the stories of Benjamin Franklin and Robert E. Lee. His formative years were spent learning the lessons of frugality and creativity as his family struggled during the financial booms and depressions of the post Civil War years.
Marshall attended and then graduated from the Virginia Military Institute in 1901, ranking in the upper half of his class. He received his army commission in 1902 as a second lieutenant of infantry. Marrying Elizabeth Carter Coles in the same year, the Marshalls set off for the Philippines to begin George's army career. In a subsequent assignment in the Philippines in 1913, George showed remarkable skill in the planning and tactical skills necessary to implement mock battles. These skills were put into use in WWI when he planned and directed the night time movement of over 400,000 men and 2,700 guns from St. -Mihiel France to the Meuse-Argonne battle scene in less than two weeks, completely surprising the Germans in the final American battle of the War. This skill caught the attention of General John J. Pershing and from there, George's ascent to becoming General George C. Marshall began.
Following WWI, Marshall served as senior aide to Pershing from 1919-1924. From there, he served in China as executive officer of the 15th Infantry Regiment until 1927. The Marshalls left China in May of 1927 and in the course of the next four months, Elizabeth's health deteriorated due to a chronic heart condition. Elizabeth died on September 15th, 1927 while George was giving a lecture at the War College in Washington. In a note to a grief stricken Marshall, General Pershing, who had lost his wife and three daughters in a fire wrote, "No one knows better than I what such a bereavement means, and my heart goes out to you very fully at this crisis in your life. It is at such moments that we realize that our reliance must be placed in the Father who rules over us all." (4)
George went on to become an assistant commandant in charge of training at the Infantry School in Fort Benning, Georgia and it was there that he met Katherine Boyce Tupper Brown, a widower herself. They married in October 15, 1930 in Baltimore, with General Pershing standing as their Best Man. The Marshalls remained in Georgia where George improved the training program for the Infantry School as well as helping to organize and administer the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camps.
In the early 1930's Lieutenant Colonel Marshall spent his time setting up seventeen CCC camps in South Carolina and northern Georgia for 4,500 men and it was during this assignment that he learned of his promotion to the permanent rank of Colonel. In October 1933 he received his orders transferring him to Chicago as chief of staff of the National Guard's 33rd Division. The Marshalls lived in Chicago until 1935 when they found a little cottage in Wayne, Illinois where they could enjoy gardening, riding horses, swimming and playing tennis in their off hours, and where "gas electric lights, eggs warm from the hen, and rich milk straight from the cow" were available.(5) In 1936, George received word that he was promoted to brigadier general and the next chapter of his life began.
In 1938, Marshall became chief of the war plans division of the War Department, then deputy chief of staff of the Army. On Sept. 1, 1939 he became chief of staff of the United States Army and subsequently, a four star general. During the years of WWII, Marshall organized and built the Army from 200,000 men to 8,250,000 soldiers and airmen. As the U.S. entered the war, he was responsible for planning the overall war strategy and directing the movements of the forces. After the war he retired as chief of staff and was appointed as a special representative to China where he tried to end the civil war between the Chinese Nationalists and the Communists.
Although most of his life was spent as a military man, it was his conviction that Europe needed help to rebuild their economies after WWII that led him down the road to receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 1953. As Secretary of State in President Truman's Cabinet, he convinced Congress to pass the European Recovery Program, which provided $13 billion in aid to European countries. This program became known as the Marshall Plan and it was this effort as well as his efforts to secure aid for Greece and Turkey, and providing a food drop to a communist blockaded West Berlin, that kept Communist influence in Europe from spreading. Marshall resigned his Cabinet post in 1949 and went on to serve as president of the American Red Cross until 1950.
Marshall died on October 16, 1959 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
1) Ed Cray, General of the Army, New York: Cooper Square Press, edition 2000, pg. xii
2) Cray, pg .xi
3) Cray, pg. xi
4) Cray, pg. 103
5) Forrest C Pogue, Education of a General, New York: Penguin Group, 1993 , pg.289
Descended from the same family as John Marshall, the first chief justice of the United States, George Catlett Marshall, Jr., was born on December 31, 1880 in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, the youngest of four children. An average student in every subject but history, George found his heros while reading the stories of Benjamin Franklin and Robert E. Lee. His formative years were spent learning the lessons of frugality and creativity as his family struggled during the financial booms and depressions of the post Civil War years.
Marshall attended and then graduated from the Virginia Military Institute in 1901, ranking in the upper half of his class. He received his army commission in 1902 as a second lieutenant of infantry. Marrying Elizabeth Carter Coles in the same year, the Marshalls set off for the Philippines to begin George's army career. In a subsequent assignment in the Philippines in 1913, George showed remarkable skill in the planning and tactical skills necessary to implement mock battles. These skills were put into use in WWI when he planned and directed the night time movement of over 400,000 men and 2,700 guns from St. -Mihiel France to the Meuse-Argonne battle scene in less than two weeks, completely surprising the Germans in the final American battle of the War. This skill caught the attention of General John J. Pershing and from there, George's ascent to becoming General George C. Marshall began.
Following WWI, Marshall served as senior aide to Pershing from 1919-1924. From there, he served in China as executive officer of the 15th Infantry Regiment until 1927. The Marshalls left China in May of 1927 and in the course of the next four months, Elizabeth's health deteriorated due to a chronic heart condition. Elizabeth died on September 15th, 1927 while George was giving a lecture at the War College in Washington. In a note to a grief stricken Marshall, General Pershing, who had lost his wife and three daughters in a fire wrote, "No one knows better than I what such a bereavement means, and my heart goes out to you very fully at this crisis in your life. It is at such moments that we realize that our reliance must be placed in the Father who rules over us all." (4)
George went on to become an assistant commandant in charge of training at the Infantry School in Fort Benning, Georgia and it was there that he met Katherine Boyce Tupper Brown, a widower herself. They married in October 15, 1930 in Baltimore, with General Pershing standing as their Best Man. The Marshalls remained in Georgia where George improved the training program for the Infantry School as well as helping to organize and administer the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camps.
In the early 1930's Lieutenant Colonel Marshall spent his time setting up seventeen CCC camps in South Carolina and northern Georgia for 4,500 men and it was during this assignment that he learned of his promotion to the permanent rank of Colonel. In October 1933 he received his orders transferring him to Chicago as chief of staff of the National Guard's 33rd Division. The Marshalls lived in Chicago until 1935 when they found a little cottage in Wayne, Illinois where they could enjoy gardening, riding horses, swimming and playing tennis in their off hours, and where "gas electric lights, eggs warm from the hen, and rich milk straight from the cow" were available.(5) In 1936, George received word that he was promoted to brigadier general and the next chapter of his life began.
In 1938, Marshall became chief of the war plans division of the War Department, then deputy chief of staff of the Army. On Sept. 1, 1939 he became chief of staff of the United States Army and subsequently, a four star general. During the years of WWII, Marshall organized and built the Army from 200,000 men to 8,250,000 soldiers and airmen. As the U.S. entered the war, he was responsible for planning the overall war strategy and directing the movements of the forces. After the war he retired as chief of staff and was appointed as a special representative to China where he tried to end the civil war between the Chinese Nationalists and the Communists.
Although most of his life was spent as a military man, it was his conviction that Europe needed help to rebuild their economies after WWII that led him down the road to receiving the Nobel Peace Prize in 1953. As Secretary of State in President Truman's Cabinet, he convinced Congress to pass the European Recovery Program, which provided $13 billion in aid to European countries. This program became known as the Marshall Plan and it was this effort as well as his efforts to secure aid for Greece and Turkey, and providing a food drop to a communist blockaded West Berlin, that kept Communist influence in Europe from spreading. Marshall resigned his Cabinet post in 1949 and went on to serve as president of the American Red Cross until 1950.
Marshall died on October 16, 1959 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
1) Ed Cray, General of the Army, New York: Cooper Square Press, edition 2000, pg. xii
2) Cray, pg .xi
3) Cray, pg. xi
4) Cray, pg. 103
5) Forrest C Pogue, Education of a General, New York: Penguin Group, 1993 , pg.289
