George Marshall George Catlett Marshall , Jr . GCB ( December 31 , 1880 – October 16 , 1959 ) , was an American military leader , Chief of Staff of the Army , Secretary of State , and the third Secretary of Defense . Once noted as the " organizer of victory " by Winston Churchill for his leadership of the Allied victory in World War II , Marshall served as the United States Army Chief of Staff during the war and as the chief military adviser to President Franklin D . Roosevelt . Marshall ' s name was given to the Marshall Plan , subsequent to a commencement address he presented as Secretary of State at Harvard University in the spring of 1947 . The speech broadly outlined for Europeans to create their own plan for rebuilding Europe after WWII , funded by the United States . Marshall received the Nobel Peace Prize for the plan in 1953 . Early life . George Catlett Marshall , Jr . , was born into a middle - class family in Uniontown , Pennsylvania , the son of George Catlett Marshall , Sr . and Laura Emily ( Bradford ) Marshall . Marshall was a scion of an old Virginia family , as well as a distant relative of former Chief Justice John Marshall . Marshall graduated from the Virginia Military Institute ( VMI ) , where he was initiated into the Kappa Alpha Order , in 1901 . Entry into the Army and the Philippines . Following graduation from VMI , Marshall was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the U . S . Army . Until World War I , he was posted to various positions in the US and the Philippines . He served as an infantry platoon leader and company commander in the Philippines during the Philippine – American War and several other guerrilla uprisings . He was schooled and trained in modern warfare . His pre - war service included a tour at Fort Leavenworth , KS from 1906 to 1910 as both a student and an instructor . World War I . During the First World War , he had roles as a planner of both training and operations . He went to France in mid - 1917 as the director of training and planning for the 1st Infantry Division . In mid - 1918 , he was promoted to American Expeditionary Forces headquarters , where he worked closely with his mentor General John J . Pershing and was a key planner of American operations . He was instrumental in the design and coordination of the Meuse - Argonne Offensive , which contributed to the defeat of the German Army on the Western Front . Between World War I and II . In 1919 , he became an aide - de - camp to General John J . Pershing . Between 1920 and 1924 , while Pershing was Army Chief of Staff , Marshall worked in a number of positions in the US Army , focusing on training and teaching modern , mechanized warfare . Between World Wars I and II , he was a key planner and writer in the War Department , commanded the 15th Infantry Regiment ( United States ) for three years in China , and taught at the Army War College . In 1927 , as a Lieutenant Colonel , he was appointed assistant commandant of Fort Benning , where he initiated major changes . From June 1932 to June 1933 he was the Commanding Officer at Fort Screven , Savannah Beach , Georgia , now named Tybee Island . In 1934 , Col . Marshall put Edwin F . Harding in charge of the Infantry School ' s publications , and Harding became editor of " Infantry in Battle " , a book that codified the lessons of World War I . " Infantry in Battle " is still used as an officer ' s training manual in the Infantry Officer ' s Course and was the training manual for most of the infantry officers and leaders of World War II . Marshall was promoted to Brigadier General in October 1936 . He commanded the Vancouver Barracks in Vancouver , Washington , from 1936 – 1938 . In July 1938 , Marshall was assigned to the War Plans Division in Washington D . C . and subsequently reassigned as Deputy Chief of Staff . In that capacity , then - Brigadier General Marshall attended a conference at the White House at which President Roosevelt proposed a plan to provide aircraft to England in support of the war effort , lacking forethought with regard to logistical support or training . With all other attendees voicing support of the plan , Marshall was the only person to voice his disagreement . Despite the common belief that he had ended his career , this action resulted in his being nominated by President Franklin Roosevelt to be Army Chief of Staff . Marshall was promoted to General and sworn in on September 1 , 1939 , the day German forces invaded Poland . He would hold this post until the end of the war in 1945 . World War II . As Chief of Staff , Marshall organized the largest military expansion in U . S . history , inheriting an outmoded , poorly equipped army of 189 , 000 men and , partly drawing from his experience teaching and developing techniques of modern warfare as an instructor at the Army War College , coordinated the large - scale expansion and modernization of the U . S . Army . Though he had never actually led troops in combat , Marshall was a skilled organizer with a talent for inspiring other officers . Many of the American generals who were given top commands during the war were either picked or recommended by Marshall , including Dwight D . Eisenhower , Jacob L . Devers , George S . Patton , Terry de la Mesa Allen , Sr . , Lloyd Fredendall , Leslie McNair , Mark Wayne Clark and Omar Bradley . Expands military force forty fold . Faced with the necessity of turning an army of former civilians into a force of over eight million soldiers by 1942 ( a fortyfold increase within three years ) , Marshall directed General Leslie McNair to focus efforts on rapidly producing large numbers of soldiers . With the exception of airborne forces , Marshall approved McNair ' s concept of an abbreviated training schedule for men entering Army land forces training , particularly in regard to basic infantry skills , weapons proficiency , and combat tactics . At the time , most U . S . commanders at lower levels had little or no combat experience of any kind . Without the input of experienced British or Allied combat officers on the nature of modern warfare and enemy tactics , many resorted to formulaic training methods emphasizing static defense and orderly large - scale advances by motorized convoys over improved roads . In consequence , Army forces deploying to Africa suffered serious initial reverses when encountering German armored combat units in Africa at Kasserine Pass and other major battles . Even as late as 1944 , U . S . soldiers undergoing stateside training in preparation for deployment against German forces in Europe were not being trained in combat procedures and tactics currently being employed there . Replacement system criticized . Originally , Marshall had planned a 200 - division Army with a system of unit rotation such as practiced by the British and other Allies . By mid - 1943 , however , after pressure from government and business leaders to preserve manpower for industry and agriculture , he had abandoned this plan in favor of a 90 - division Army using individual replacements sent via a circuitous process from training to divisions in combat . The individual replacement system ( IRS ) devised by Marshall and implemented by McNair greatly exacerbated problems with unit cohesion and effective transfer of combat experience to newly trained soldiers and officers . In Europe , where there were few pauses in combat with German forces , the individual replacement system had broken down completely by late 1944 . Hastily trained replacements or service personnel re - assigned as infantry were given six weeks ' refresher training and thrown into battle with Army divisions locked in front - line combat . The new men were often not even proficient in the use of their own rifles or weapons systems , and once in combat , could not receive enough practical instruction from veterans before being killed or wounded , usually within the first three or four days . Under such conditions , many replacements suffered a crippling loss of morale , while veteran soldiers were kept in line units until they were killed , wounded , or incapacitated by battle fatigue or physical illness . Incidents of soldiers AWOL from combat duty as well as battle fatigue and self - inflicted injury rose rapidly during the last eight months of the war with Germany . As one historian later concluded , " Had the Germans been given a free hand to devise a replacement system . . . , one that would do the Americans the most harm and the least good , they could not have done a better job . " Marshall ' s abilities to pick competent field commanders during the early part of the war was decidedly mixed . While he had been instrumental in advancing the career of the able Dwight D . Eisenhower , he had also recommended the swaggering Lloyd Fredendall to Eisenhower for a major command in the American invasion of North Africa during Operation " Torch " . Marshall was especially fond of Fredendall , describing him as " one of the best " and remarking in a staff meeting when his name was mentioned , " I like that man ; you can see determination all over his face . " Eisenhower duly picked him to command the 39 , 000 - man Central Task Force ( the largest of three ) in Operation Torch . Both men would later come to regret that decision after the U . S . Army debacle at Kasserine Pass . Planned invasion of Europe . During World War II , Marshall was instrumental in preparing the U . S . Army and Army Air Forces for the invasion of the European continent . Marshall wrote the document that would become the central strategy for all Allied operations in Europe . He initially scheduled Operation " Overlord " for April 1 , 1943 , but met with strong opposition from Winston Churchill , who convinced Roosevelt to commit troops to Operation " Husky " for the invasion of Italy . Some authors think that World War II could have been terminated one year earlier if Marshall had had his way , others think that such invasion would have meant utter failure . But it is true that the German Army in 1943 was overstretched , and defense works in Normandy were not ready . It was assumed that Marshall would become the Supreme Commander of Operation " Overlord " , but Roosevelt selected Dwight Eisenhower as Supreme Commander . While Marshall enjoyed considerable success in working with Congress and President Franklin D . Roosevelt , he refused to lobby for the position . President Roosevelt didn ' t want to lose his presence in the states . He told Marshall , " I didn ' t feel I could sleep at ease if you were out of Washington . " When rumors circulated that the top job would go to Marshall , many critics viewed the transfer as a demotion for Marshall , since he would leave his position as Chief of Staff of the Army and lose his seat on the Combined Chiefs of Staff . On December 16 , 1944 , Marshall became the first American general to be promoted to five - star rank , the newly created General of the Army . He was the second American to be promoted to a five - star rank , as William Leahy was promoted to fleet admiral the previous day . This position is the American equivalent rank to field marshal . Throughout the remainder of World War II , Marshall coordinated 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 for 1943 . Marshall resigned his post of Chief of Staff in 1945 , but did not retire , as regulations stipulate that Generals of the Army remain on active duty for life . Analysis of Pearl Harbor intelligence failure . After World War II ended , the Congressional Joint Committee on the Investigation of the Pearl Harbor Attack received testimony on the intelligence failure . It amassed 25 , 000 pages of documents , 40 volumes , and included nine reports and investigations , eight of which had been previously completed . Among these documents was a report critical of Marshall for his delay in sending General Walter Short , the Army commander in Hawaii , important information concerning a possible attack on December 6 and 7 . The report also criticized Marshall ’ s admitted lack of knowledge of the readiness of the Hawaiian Command during November and December 1941 . Ten days after the attack , Lt . General Short and Admiral Husband E . Kimmel , commander of the Navy at Pearl Harbor , were both relieved of their duties . The final report of the Joint Committee did not single out and fault Marshall . While the report was critical of the overall situation , the committee noted that subordinates had failed to pass on important information to their superiors , including Marshall . The report noted that once General Marshall received information about the impending attack , he immediately passed it on . Post War : China . In December 1945 , President Harry Truman sent Marshall to China to broker a coalition government between the Nationalist allies under Generalissimo Chiang Kai - shek and Communists under Mao Zedong . Marshall had no leverage over the Communists , but he threatened to withdraw American aid essential to the Nationalists . Both sides rejected his proposals and the Chinese Civil War escalated , with the Communists winning in 1949 . His mission a failure , he returned to the United States in January 1947 . Chiang Kai - shek and some historians later claimed that cease - fire , under pressure of Marshall , saved the Communists from defeat . As Secretary of State in 1947 – 48 , Marshall seems to have disagreed with strong opinions in The Pentagon and State department that Chiang ' s success was vital to American interests , insisting that U . S . troops not become involved . Secretary of State and Nobel Peace Prize . After Marshall ' s return to the U . S . in early 1947 , Truman appointed Marshall Secretary of State . He became the spokesman for the State Department ' s ambitious plans to rebuild Europe . On June 5 , 1947 in a speech at Harvard University , he outlined the American plan . The European Recovery Program , as it was formally known , became known as the Marshall Plan . Clark Clifford had suggested to Truman that the plan be called the Truman Plan , but Truman immediately dismissed that idea and insisted that it be called the Marshall Plan . The Marshall Plan would help Europe quickly rebuild and modernize its economy along American lines . The Soviet Union forbade its satellites to participate . Marshall was again named " Time " ' s Man of the Year for 1947 . He received the Nobel Peace Prize for his post - war work in 1953 , the only United States Army General to ever receive this honor . As Secretary of State , Marshall strongly opposed recognizing the state of Israel . Marshall felt that if the state of Israel was declared that a war would break out in the Middle East ( which it did in 1948 one day after Israel declared independence ) . Marshall saw recognizing the Jewish state as a political move to gain Jewish support in the upcoming election , in which Truman was expected to lose to Dewey . He told President Truman in May 1948 , " If you ( recognize the state of Israel ) and if I were to vote in the election , I would vote against you . " Marshall resigned from the State Department because of ill health on January 7 , 1949 , and the same month became chairman of American Battle Monuments Commission . In September 1949 , Marshall was named president of the American National Red Cross . Secretary of Defense . When the early months of the Korean War showed how poorly prepared the Defense Department was , President Truman fired Secretary Louis A . Johnson and named Marshall as Secretary of Defense in September 1950 . On September 30 , Defense Secretary George Marshall sent an eyes - only message to MacArthur instructing MacArthur to escalate the war in Korea " We want you to feel unhampered tactically and strategically to proceed north of the 38th parallel . " His main role was to restore confidence and rebuild the armed forces from the post - war state of demobilization . He served in that post for one year , retiring from public office for good in September 1951 . In 1953 , he represented America at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom . Death and legacy . He died at his home in Washington , D . C . on Friday , October 16 , 1959 . He was 78 years old . He is interred at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington , Virginia . After leaving office , in a television interview , Harry Truman was asked who he thought was the American who made the greatest contribution of the last thirty years . Without hesitation , Truman picked Marshall , adding " I don ' t think in this age in which I have lived , that there has been a man who has been a greater administrator ; a man with a knowledge of military affairs equal to General Marshall . " Orson Welles , in an interview with Dick Cavett , said that " Marshall is the greatest man I ever met . . . I think he was the greatest human being who was also a great man . . . He was a tremendous gentlemen , an old fashioned institution which isn ' t with us anymore . " In spite of world - wide acclaim , dozens of national and international awards and honors and the Nobel Peace prize , public opinion became bitterly divided along party lines on Marshall ' s record . While campaigning for president in 1952 , Eisenhower denounced the Truman administration ' s failures in Korea , campaigned alongside McCarthy , and refused to defend Marshall ' s policies . Marshall , who assisted Eisenhower in his promotions , and in refusing to lobby for the position of supreme commander effectively stood aside , thus allowing Eisenhower an opportunity to be chosen for that role , was surprised at the lack of a positive statement supporting him from Eisenhower during the McCarthy hearings . Family life . Marshall married Elizabeth Carter Coles in San Antonio , Texas , in 1902 . Elizabeth Coles Marshall died in 1927 . In 1930 , Marshall married Katherine Boyce Tupper ( October 8 , 1882 - December 18 , 1978 ) , widow of Baltimore lawyer Clifton Stevenson Brown and the mother of three children . One of Marshall ' s stepsons with Tupper was US Army Lieutenant Allen Tupper Brown , who was killed by a German sniper in Italy on May 29 , 1944 . Another stepson was Major Clifton Stevenson Brown , Jr . ( 1914 - 1952 ) . Step - daughter Molly Brown Winn , who is the mother of actress Kitty Winn , was married to US Army Major James J . Winn ( former aide to General Marshall ) . George Marshall maintained a home , known as Dodona Manor ( now restored ) , in Leesburg , Virginia . The George C . Marshal European Center for Security Studies in Garmisch - Partenkirchen , Germany http : / / www . touchstonemag . com / archives / article . php ? id = 26 - 02 - 041 - f