George
C. Marshall
George
C. Marshall (1880-1959), perhaps best known for his
role in developing and implementing the Marshall Plan,
devoted his life to serving his country, first as
a general in the U.S. Army and later as Secretary
of State and Secretary of War under President Harry
S. Truman. His military accomplishments led to him
being named "Man of the Year" by Time magazine
in 1944. His work in rebuilding Europe following World
War II earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1953.
Marshall's military career began in 1902 with a commission
in the U.S. Army as a second lieutenant. His service
under General John J. Pershing, commander of the American
Expeditionary Forces in France during World War I,
demonstrated his tactical and logistical expertise
and marked him as a capable and efficient soldier.
For the next twenty years, Marshall slowly worked
his way up through the ranks of the Army, attaining
the rank of brigadier general in 1936. Marshall served
as the chief of staff of the army under President
Franklin D. Roosevelt during World War II, where he
became the President's most trusted military advisor.
Following the war, Marshall served as a special presidential
emissary to China and became the Secretary of State
under President Harry S. Truman in the spring of 1947.
As Secretary, Marshall focused on the ongoing task
of rebuilding the war-ravaged economies of Europe,
as well as establishing policies to help contain the
emerging Soviet threat.
The European Recovery Program, better known as the
Marshall Plan, addressed both of these concerns and
built upon the work started by President Herbert Hoover
and the Famine Emergency Committee. Although Hoover
had some reservations concerning the Marshall Plan,
particularly the long-term costs for the American
taxpayer and the drain on the U.S. economy, his eventual
support for the plan helped insure bipartisan backing
for the measure and its passage in Congress. For more
information, see: Forrest C. Pogue's George C. Marshall,
Statesman 1945-1959, and American National Biography
v.14 (1999) p. 556-60.
