George C. Marshall

George Catlett Marshall Jr. was an American army officer and statesman. He rose through the United States Army to become Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army under Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman, then served as Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense under Truman. Winston Churchill lauded Marshall as the "organizer of victory" for his leadership of the Allied victory in World War II. During the subsequent year, he attempted to but failed to avoid the impending Chinese Civil War. As Secretary of State, Marshall advocated for a U.S. economic and political commitment to post-war European recovery, including the Marshall Plan that bore his name. In recognition of this work, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1953, the only Army general ever to receive the honor.

31 December 1880

Born on the same birth date (31 December 1880): Fred Beebe

Born on the same birth day (31 December): Bob Gilder • Bobby Byrne (baseball) • Daphne Oram • Edward Bunker • Fred Marriott • Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba (1585–1635) • Irina Korschunow • Isma'il Pasha of Egypt • Joe Abercrombie • Lyudmila Pakhomova • Mario Aerts • Rosalind Cash • Shrilal Shukla • Siné • Tomás Balduino

Born in the same month (December 1880): Fedor von Bock • Frank Tarrant • Fred Beebe • Fred Woolley • Johannes Aavik • Johnny Gruelle