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George C. Marshall

George C. Marshall
Usage Conditions Apply
Artist
Thomas Edgar Stephens, 18 Jan 1886 - 4 Jan 1966
Sitter
George Catlett Marshall, 31 Dec 1880 - 16 Oct 1959
Date
c. 1949
Type
Painting
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
127cm x 101.5cm (50" x 39 15/16"), Accurate
Frame: 151.1 x 125.7 x 10.2cm (59 1/2 x 49 1/2 x 4")
Topic
George Catlett Marshall: Male
George Catlett Marshall: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\General
George Catlett Marshall: Politics and Government\Cabinet member\Secretary of State
George Catlett Marshall: Politics and Government\Cabinet member\Secretary of Defense
George Catlett Marshall: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\Joint Chiefs of Staff
George Catlett Marshall: Nobel Prize
George Catlett Marshall: Congressional Gold Medal
Portrait
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; transfer from the National Gallery of Art; gift of Ailsa Mellon Bruce, 1951
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Object number
NPG.65.66
Exhibition Label
Born Uniontown, Pennsylvania
George C. Marshall was, according to one expert observer, the "perfect" soldier. Endowed with a quick mind, a good memory, and a superb sense of strategy, he did not particularly relish war. Yet as chief of staff during World War II, he proved to be a masterful orchestrator of military mobilization. In 1945 President Harry Truman remarked that millions of Americans had served the country well in that conflict, but it had been Marshall who "gave it victory." As capable in peace as in wartime, Marshall later became Truman's secretary of state, and it was he who unveiled in 1947 the American aid program for rebuilding Europe's war-ravaged economies. Ultimately named the Marshall Plan, this venture became one of the greatest triumphs in the entire history of American diplomacy.
Nacido en Uniontown, Pensilvania
Según un experto, George C. Marshall fue el soldado "perfecto". Si bien poseía una mente ágil, buena memoria y excelente sentido estratégico, no disfrutaba la guerra particularmente. Sin embargo, como jefe del estado mayor durante la II Guerra Mundial probó ser un genial movilizador militar. En 1945 el presidente Harry Truman comentó que millones de ciudadanos habían servido bien al país en el conflicto, pero era Marshall quien "le dio la victoria". Tan eficaz en la guerra como en la paz, Marshall fue secretario de estado bajo Truman y en 1947 develó el programa de asistencia estadounidense para reconstruir las economías europeas devastadas por la guerra. La iniciativa, conocida como el Plan Marshall, fue uno de los mayores triunfos en la historia diplomática de EE.UU.
Provenance
Ailsa Mellon Bruce; gift to NGA for NPG; transferred in 1965.
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery
Exhibition
20th Century Americans: 1930-1960
On View
NPG, South Gallery 321