- born in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, on 31 December 1880
- graduated from Virginia Military Institute, 1901
- married Elizabeth Carter Cole, 1902 (deceased 1927)
- was commissioned a second lieutenant, February 1902, and served with the 30th Infantry in the Philippines, 1902-1903,
and at Fort Reno, 1903-1906
- was promoted to first lieutenant, March 1907
- at Fort Leavenworth, graduated from the Infantry and Cavalry School(1907) and was a student (1908) and instructor
(1908-1910) at the Staff College
- was inspector-instructor of the Massachusetts National Guard, 1911-1912, then served with the 4th Infantry at Forts
Logan H. Roots and Crocket, and the 13th Infantry in the Philippines, 1913-1916
- was promoted to captain, July 1917, and then to temporary major, August 1917, lieutenant colonel, January 1918, and
colonel, August 1918
- served with the American Expeditionary Forces in France as operations officer of the 1st Division and the First Army,
and chief of staff of the VIII Corps, 1917-1918, participating in the Cantigny, Aisne-Marne, St. Mihiel, and Meuse-Argonne
operations
- was aide to General John J. Pershing, 1919-1924
- was promoted to permanent major, July 1920, and lieutenant colonel, August 1923
- commanded the 15th Infantry in China, 1924-1927
- was instructor at the Army War College, 1927, and assistant commandant of the Infantry School at Fort Benning, 1927-1932
- married Katherine Boyce Tupper Brown, 1930
- was promoted to colonel and placed in command of the 8th Infantry at Fort Screven, September 1933
- was senior instructor of the Illinois National Guard, 1933-1936
- was promoted to brigadier general, October 1936, and was commander of the 5th Infantry Brigade, 1936-1938
- was head of the War Plans Division, General Staff, 1938
- was deputy chief of staff, 1938-1939, and acting chief, July-September 1939
- was promoted to major general and immediately full general, September 1939
- was Chief of Staff of the United States Army, 1 September 1939-18 November 1945
- centralized the professional leadership of the Army in the Chief of Staff's office
- exercised control over mobilization, staff planning, industrial conversion, and personnel requirements
- streamlined administration and tactical organization
- mastered grand strategy and was the principal American military architect of Allied victory
- was promoted to temporary grade of General of the Army, December 1944 (made permanent retroactively in April 1946)
- was special representative of the president to China, 1945-1947
- retired from active service February 1947
- was Secretary of State, 21 January 1947-21 January 1949
- was the architect of the Marshall Plan to aid European nations, April 1948
- was restored to the active list, March 1949
- was president of the American Red Cross, 1949-1950
- was Secretary of Defense, 12 September 1950-12 September 1951
- received the Nobel Peace Prize for the Marshall Plan, 1953
- was chairman of the American Battle Monuments Commission, 1949-1959
- died in Washington, D.C., on 16 October 1959.
Taken from: COMMANDING GENERALS AND CHIEFS OF STAFF, 1775-1982, William
Gardner Bell, Center of Military History, United States Army, Washington, D.C., 1983