George Marshall

For the Olympic athlete, see George Marshall (athlete).

Biography

Marshall was born into a middle-class family in the Pittsburgh suburb of Uniontown, Pennsylvania. While attending Virginia Military Institute, he was initiated into the Kappa Alpha Order.

Related Topics:
Pittsburgh - Uniontown - Pennsylvania - Virginia Military Institute - Kappa Alpha Order

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 1948, he was awarded the Distiguished Achievement Award for his role and contributions during and after World War II.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Marshall was instrumental in getting the U.S. Army and Army Air Corps reorganized and ready for war. Marshall wrote the document that would become the central strategy for all Allied operations in Europe, selected Dwight Eisenhower as Supreme Commander in Europe, and designed Operation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy. Throughout the remainder of the World War II, Marshall coordinated all Allied operations in Europe and the Pacific. He was characterized as the organizer of Allied victory by Winston Churchill. Time Magazine named Marshall Man of the Year in 1944.

Related Topics:
Dwight Eisenhower - Operation Overlord - Normandy - World War II - Winston Churchill - Time Magazine - Man of the Year

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

After WW II he was sent to China to negotiate a truce and build a coalition government between the Nationalists and Communists fighting the Chinese Civil War. His efforts failed and he was recalled in January 1947.

Related Topics:
China - Nationalists - Communists - Chinese Civil War

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Marshall 'retired' in November 1945 and was named Secretary of State in 1947. As such, on Thursday June 5, 1947 at a speech at Harvard University, he outlined the U.S. government's preparedness to contribute to European recovery. The European Recovery Plan, which became known as the Marshall Plan, helped Europe quickly rebuild and earned Marshall the honor of being named TIME's Man of the Year in 1948 and awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1953. In 1949 he resigned from the State Department and was named president of the American National Red Cross. He was named Secretary of Defense in 1950, but retired from politics for good in 1951 after Senator Joseph McCarthy made a speech on the Senate floor stating that "if Marshall was merely stupid, the laws of probability would dictate that part of his decisions would serve America's interests." Marshall died on Friday October 16, 1959.

Related Topics:
1945 - Secretary of State - 1947 - June 5 - Harvard University - Marshall Plan - TIME - Nobel Peace Prize - 1953 - 1949 - State Department - American National Red Cross - Secretary of Defense - 1950 - 1951 - Joseph McCarthy - 1959

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The British Parliment established the Marshall Scholarship in recognition of Marshall's contributions to Anglo-American relations.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~