Uniontown’s son: George C. Marshall honored throughout the city
Mark Hofmann | Herald-Standard
Mark Hofmann | Herald-Standard
General George C. Marshall is honored throughout the city of Uniontown.
Mark Hofmann | Herald-Standard
Uniontown native General George C. Marshall is honored throughout the city.
Mark Hofmann | Herald-Standard
This statue of General George C. Marshall is in downtown Uniontown.
General George C. Marshall Jr. was world-renowned, but the Uniontown native was a prime example of one who never forgot where he came from.
“I think his trips back to Uniontown were more frequent than what people may think,” said Christine Buckelew, president of the Fayette County Historical Society. “He loved Uniontown and it was always part of his life.”
Born in the city as the youngest of three children to George Catlett Marshall and Laura Emily (née Bradford) Marshall, George Jr. was educated at Miss Alcinda Thompson’s private school in Uniontown and spent a year at Uniontown’s Central School.
In December 1897, at 16, he enrolled at Virginia Military Institute, where he ranked in the top for military discipline, and attained the rank of first captain, the highest a cadet could achieve, and graduated 15th of 34 in the Class of 1901.
“He represents so much of what is good about the city (Uniontown) and the county (Fayette),” Buckelew said, in a recent interview. “He’s the first Five-Star General on the cover of ‘Time’ and he was on it twice.”
A U.S. Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense, Marshall grew up on West Main Street in Uniontown, Buckelew said.
“And his father instilled in him at a young age the importance of history,” she noted. “His father took him to Fort Necessity before it was established. He told him the story of it and made him understand the importance of Fort Necessity and George Washington.”
After graduating from VMI, Marshall served as Commandant of Students at Danville Military Institute, Danville, Virginia.
He took a competitive examination for a commission in the U.S. Army, which had expanded to deal with the Spanish-American War and Philippine-American War. He passed and used endorsements his father obtained from both of Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senators to bolster his application.
He rose through the ranks to become the 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 dubbed him the “true organizer of victory” for his leadership of the Allied victory in World War II.
As Secretary of State, Marshall advocated a U.S. economic and political commitment to post-war European recovery, including the Marshall Plan. In recognition of this work, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1953.
Marshall worked to restore the military’s confidence and morale at the end of its post-World War II demobilization and then its initial buildup for combat in Korea and operations during the Cold War. After resigning as Defense Secretary, Marshall retired to his home in Virginia. He died in 1959 and was buried with honors at Arlington National Cemetery.
“He is so important to our story here,” Buckelew said. “And to the visitors here. He is so important to our country’s story and history as well.”
“(Marshall) was a very unassuming man. He didn’t want a lot of fanfare or an entourage when he came back here. But he always kept Uniontown near his heart. He certainly returned here many more times than what is documented,” she said.