Douglas MacArthur
1880–1964 · American general who commanded in the Pacific in World War II and in Korea.
Douglas MacArthur was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, the son of a Civil War hero and general. In World War I he led troops in France, often from the front, and was decorated many times. He later served as superintendent of West Point and Army chief of staff, and then went to the Philippines as military adviser. When Japan invaded in December 1941, his forces were driven onto the Bataan Peninsula. Ordered to leave for Australia in 1942, he promised to return. Commanding Allied forces in the Southwest Pacific, he advanced along New Guinea, and in October 1944 he waded ashore at Leyte in the Philippines. He accepted Japan's surrender aboard the USS Missouri in September 1945 and then governed occupied Japan, overseeing a new constitution and land reform. When North Korea invaded South Korea in 1950, he commanded United Nations forces and made a bold landing at Inchon. After China entered the war, he publicly disagreed with President Truman's policy of limited war, and Truman relieved him of command in 1951. He died in 1964.
Faith: Faith not well documented. Source: Wikipedia
Key dates
- 1903 Graduates first in his class at West Point
- 1942 Leaves the Philippines for Australia
- 1944 Returns to the Philippines at Leyte
- 1945 Accepts Japan's surrender
- 1950 Inchon landing in Korea
- 1951 Relieved of command by Truman
Fun facts
- He wrote that he learned to ride and shoot 'even before I could read or write—indeed, almost before I could walk and talk.' (Source: Douglas MacArthur (Wikipedia))
Record-breaker
Firsts and records, worded as the sources give them ("first known", "at the time").
- In 1925, at 45, he became the U.S. Army's youngest major general; he is one of only five people to hold the rank of General of the Army. (Source: Douglas MacArthur (Wikipedia))
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