George C. Marshall

George Catlett Marshall Jr GCB December 31 1880 October 16 1959 was an American army officer and statesman He rose through the United States Army to become Chief of Staff of the US Army under Presidents Franklin D Roosevelt and Harry S Truman then served as Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense under Truman4 Winston Churchill lauded Marshall as the organizer of victory for his leadership of the Allied victory in World War II After the war he spent a frustrating year trying and failing to avoid the impending Chinese Civil War As Secretary of State Marshall advocated a US economic and political commitment to postwar European recovery including the Marshall Plan that bore his name In recognition of this work he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1953