Douglas MacArthur

:For the municipality in the Philippines, see General MacArthur, Eastern Samar.

Early life and education

MacArthur was born in Little Rock, Arkansas on the northwest upper floor of The Tower Building of the Little Rock Arsenal. His parents were Lieutenant General Arthur MacArthur, a recipient of the Medal of Honor during the American Civil War, who was the son of jurist and politician Arthur MacArthur, Sr., and Mary Pinkney Hardy MacArthur of Norfolk, Virginia. In 1883, when he was three years old, his other brother, Malcolm, died (his older brother Arthur would later attend the U.S. Naval Academy and die in 1923 as a Captain.) MacArthur spent much of his childhood in remote parts of New Mexico such as Fort Selden, where his father commanded an infantry company. In his memoir Reminiscences, MacArthur wrote that his first memory was the sound of a bugle.

Related Topics:
Little Rock - Arkansas - The Tower Building of the Little Rock Arsenal - Lieutenant General - Arthur MacArthur - Medal of Honor - American Civil War - Arthur MacArthur, Sr. - Norfolk - Virginia - 1883 - U.S. Naval Academy - 1923 - Captain - New Mexico - Infantry - Company - Memory - Bugle

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When MacArthur was six years old, his father was reassigned to Fort Leavenworth in Kansas. Three years later, the MacArthur family moved to Washington, D.C. when Douglas's father took a post at the War Department. There he spent time with his paternal grandfather, Judge Arthur MacArthur, a member of the high-profile Washington political culture that had enormous influence on Douglas.

Related Topics:
Fort Leavenworth - Kansas - Washington, D.C. - War Department - Political culture

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MacArthur's father was posted to San Antonio, Texas in 1893. There, Douglas attended the West Texas Military Academy, where he became an excellent student. MacArthur entered the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1898. An outstanding cadet, he graduated as valedictorian of his 93-man class in 1903, with only two other students in the history of West Point surpassing his achievements. MacArthur became a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, where he was a leader in combat engineering.

Related Topics:
San Antonio - Texas - 1893 - West Texas Military Academy - United States Military Academy - 1898 - Cadet - Valedictorian - 1903 - Second Lieutenant - U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Combat engineering

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