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Twentieth Century American Biography Series: George C. Marshall
Series John Milton Cooper, Jr., University of Wisconsin-Madison.This distinguished series provides complete interpretive biographies of influential twentieth-century figures. Based on extensive research and written by a prominent scholar, each concise study examines the subjects career, private life, political milieu, public image, and impact on modern society.
208 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1989
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 16, 2013
George Catlett Marshall was born on December 31, 1880 in Uniontown, PA. He did not attend West Point but followed his brother Stuart to VMI. He was spurred to achievement when he overheard a conversation in which Stuart did not want him to attend VMI for fear of his embarrassing the family. Not only did he not embarrass the family but he went on to become a campus leader at VMI. Thus began his military life in service to his country. He was mentored during WW I by General Pershing with whom he remained a devoted friend for the rest of his life. During the years between WW I and II, he slowly rose in rank and held various Army positions. He was sworn in as Army Chief of Staff on September 1, 1939 just as the Germans began their onslaught into Poland. He was Roosevelt's first choice to command Overlord but his administrative and diplomatic skills were of more use as Chief of Staff and the job went to Eisenhower. After the war, the Marshall plan expressed that peace, economic prosperity, and democracy all went together. He served first as Secretary of State and then as Secretary of Defense during the Korean War. He was such a man of intellect, integrity, and vision that I find it terribly sad that (excluding members of GoodReads History Group) probably fewer than one person in a thousand know who George Catlett Marshall was. Great man. A very good read.
July 30, 2021
American heroes are few and always flawed but a close inspection of General Marshall demonstrates a patriot that deserves that title. This well-researched book demonstrates that he knew his role, loved his country, and had a dedication that is shown by many but without the impact of Marshall. The author makes the point that Marshall served honorably and without the rewards one would expect for decades. He was not promoted to Colonel until after 30 years in the service, although promotions did occur fairly quickly after that point.
Marshall’s role in dealing with Congress and President Roosevelt along with his respect for civilian control of our military was most interesting. It was reported that he refused to go to the president’s private house throughout his presidency, visiting Hyde Park only after the president died; Eleanor Roosevelt placed the general who refused to laugh at the president’s jokes to keep his distance in charge of her husband’s funeral.
What’s especially telling about our country – and in a strange way reassuring – is how this man who Churchill (who was often on the opposite side of arguments during WWII) called the “organizer of victory” of World War II – came under attack when in his last major position for President Truman. McCarthy attacked him with the attack becoming near hysterical when the president fired General McArthur. It had to hurt after staying so far away from politics and putting our nation first to come under such partisan attacks.
The author points out various deaths of Marshall’s friends and family, especially near the end of the war, made ending the war even more important to the man. Many people were mentioned, including his step-son, Allen. While the author mentioned that the two had become close, little else is said about his relationship or feelings. That’s unfortunate. Both wives, especially the second widowed wife Marshall married years after losing his own beloved wife, were barely mentioned in the book. It would have been a more full picture of the man if the author had dug into what it was like to assume the role of father when he married his second wife, balancing family and work, and how he grew or where he might have come up short.
The book did provide an accounting of how General Eisenhower disappointed Marshall – and himself – when he backed away on his defense of his long-time colleague for personal reasons. Running for president, Eisenhower planned to provide a tribute to Marshall while in Senator McCarthy’s state but backed down when his political advisors warned against it. Instead, he had the disgraced Senator – who Ike hated – sitting on the stage with him. I’ve read this story in two other books but Stoler accounts how Ike continued to make it up to his fellow military hero throughout the rest of his life with kind gestures and, more importantly, holding firm on Marshall’s major foreign policy initiatives. Stoler provided a much more full accounting, including how his overall approach pleased Marshall’s wife.
This book was more than just about a man. It was about our country – the good and bad – and how our nation became the strongest in the world. Well worth the time to read it.
Marshall’s role in dealing with Congress and President Roosevelt along with his respect for civilian control of our military was most interesting. It was reported that he refused to go to the president’s private house throughout his presidency, visiting Hyde Park only after the president died; Eleanor Roosevelt placed the general who refused to laugh at the president’s jokes to keep his distance in charge of her husband’s funeral.
What’s especially telling about our country – and in a strange way reassuring – is how this man who Churchill (who was often on the opposite side of arguments during WWII) called the “organizer of victory” of World War II – came under attack when in his last major position for President Truman. McCarthy attacked him with the attack becoming near hysterical when the president fired General McArthur. It had to hurt after staying so far away from politics and putting our nation first to come under such partisan attacks.
The author points out various deaths of Marshall’s friends and family, especially near the end of the war, made ending the war even more important to the man. Many people were mentioned, including his step-son, Allen. While the author mentioned that the two had become close, little else is said about his relationship or feelings. That’s unfortunate. Both wives, especially the second widowed wife Marshall married years after losing his own beloved wife, were barely mentioned in the book. It would have been a more full picture of the man if the author had dug into what it was like to assume the role of father when he married his second wife, balancing family and work, and how he grew or where he might have come up short.
The book did provide an accounting of how General Eisenhower disappointed Marshall – and himself – when he backed away on his defense of his long-time colleague for personal reasons. Running for president, Eisenhower planned to provide a tribute to Marshall while in Senator McCarthy’s state but backed down when his political advisors warned against it. Instead, he had the disgraced Senator – who Ike hated – sitting on the stage with him. I’ve read this story in two other books but Stoler accounts how Ike continued to make it up to his fellow military hero throughout the rest of his life with kind gestures and, more importantly, holding firm on Marshall’s major foreign policy initiatives. Stoler provided a much more full accounting, including how his overall approach pleased Marshall’s wife.
This book was more than just about a man. It was about our country – the good and bad – and how our nation became the strongest in the world. Well worth the time to read it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 28, 2019
I gave this book four stars as it was a well written biography about George Marshall by Mark Stoler. I would have given it five stars but it lacked a lot of personal background information about George Marshall. For example, there were hardly any details about his first wife that dies...she just dies...he seems to miss her and that is all said about that. The book is more focused on his political impacts after WWII, which were very significant.
February 21, 2020
A very impressive soldier / statesman likened to George Washington - which is fair considering his decades of service as a soldier / general, followed by stints as emissary to China, Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense. I visited his residence / quarters in Vancouver, Washington a couple of years ago and the museum there piqued my interest in reading more about him. He was the glue that held America’s efforts together through World War II, besides his many other accomplishments.
September 24, 2022
Biography of a great man who played a big part in saving the world, and remained largely unknown by the general public.
April 25, 2013
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Like most people with only a cursory knowledge of American history, I had thought that Marshall's claim to fame was largely based on the celebrated plan to rebuild Europe after the Second World War. I'd never realized that it had been Marshall's managerial and planning skills that had made victory possible in the first place. But Stoler's George C. Marshall: Soldier Statesman of the American Century sets the record straight: No single person in the twentieth century had as much to do with the United States emerging as a world power as did Marshall.
The book is wonderfully written throughout. Incidents, anecdotes, quotations and facts are interwoven so seamlessly that you forget you're reading history. Take the beginning of Chapter 5, for instance:
"The morning of 1 September 1939, was a long and eventful one for George Marshall. It began at 3 A.M. with a telephone call informing him of the German invasion of Poland and ended more than eight hours later with a special White House conference to discuss the European crisis. In between he was promoted to the permanent major generalship just vacated by the retiring General Craig and sworn in as army chief of staff with the temporary rank of four-star general. `My day of induction into office was momentous, with the starting of what appears to be a World War,' he noted a few days later. `You know, I think you timed your affairs very beautifully,' he wrote Craig on 19 September, `because you certainly left me on a hot spot.'1 (68)
The chapter introductions and conclusions are especially strong - each one dovetailing into the next until you find yourself at the end of a very enjoyable reading experience. In that sense the book may be too short as other readers have noted, but faulting a Twayne series biography for its length is a little like complaining that a gallon has only four quarts.
Those seeking more Stoler on Marshall would be best directed to some of the other WWII titles by the same author, the Marshall Papers (the 6th and final volume is now underway) or one of the Great Courses on American history taught by Professor Stoler.
The book is wonderfully written throughout. Incidents, anecdotes, quotations and facts are interwoven so seamlessly that you forget you're reading history. Take the beginning of Chapter 5, for instance:
"The morning of 1 September 1939, was a long and eventful one for George Marshall. It began at 3 A.M. with a telephone call informing him of the German invasion of Poland and ended more than eight hours later with a special White House conference to discuss the European crisis. In between he was promoted to the permanent major generalship just vacated by the retiring General Craig and sworn in as army chief of staff with the temporary rank of four-star general. `My day of induction into office was momentous, with the starting of what appears to be a World War,' he noted a few days later. `You know, I think you timed your affairs very beautifully,' he wrote Craig on 19 September, `because you certainly left me on a hot spot.'1 (68)
The chapter introductions and conclusions are especially strong - each one dovetailing into the next until you find yourself at the end of a very enjoyable reading experience. In that sense the book may be too short as other readers have noted, but faulting a Twayne series biography for its length is a little like complaining that a gallon has only four quarts.
Those seeking more Stoler on Marshall would be best directed to some of the other WWII titles by the same author, the Marshall Papers (the 6th and final volume is now underway) or one of the Great Courses on American history taught by Professor Stoler.
January 3, 2008
This was a fascinating book about an often overlooked, but critical, World War II leader. General Marshall was responsible for the Marshall Plan to restore economic vitality to Western Europe, and the first pick, before Eisenhower, to lead Overlord.
March 16, 2010
This an excellent short and readable biography by one of the preeminent Marshall scholars. Had the opportunity to hear a lecture by Professor Stoler. Recently Stoler was named the Director of the Marshall Library at VMI.
December 26, 2016
Interesting read about how powerful the Army's Chief of Staff was during WWII. Thankfully we had his skillset and reputation to guide the creation of the Army during that timeframe. Starts with Marshall's experience in the Philippines and goes through the details of WWII.
September 10, 2012
This is the best soldier in American history. God bless George C Marshall.
June 8, 2015
George Marshall was involved in most of the 20th century foreign affairs. His clear mind and careful decisions made all the difference. A true hero.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews