Marshall, George C

Marshall, George C(atlett)

George C. Marshall.

(credit: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.)

(born Dec. 31, 1880, Uniontown, Pa., U.S.—died Oct. 16, 1959, Washington, D.C.) U.S. Army officer and statesman. After graduating from the Virginia Military Institute, he served in the Philippines (1902–03) and in World War I. He was later an aide to Gen. John Pershing (1919–24) and assistant commandant of the army's infantry school (1927–33), where he taught many future commanders. As chief of staff of the U.S. Army (1939–45), he directed army operations throughout World War II. After his retirement in 1945, Pres. Harry Truman sent him to China to mediate the civil war there. As secretary of state (1947–49), Marshall proposed the European aid program known as the Marshall Plan and initiated discussions that led to the formation of NATO. He resigned because of ill health but was called back by Truman to become secretary of defense (1950–51) and to prepare the armed forces for the Korean War. In 1953 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace.