George C. Marshall - Early Years

Growing up in Uniontown, PA the youngest of three children, George Marshall demonstrated early in his life the kind of quick and levelheaded thinking that served him well in his adult years.

• Born December 31, 1880 in Uniontown, PA
• Attended private and public schools, left for college at VMI in 1897

Highlights

"Another place of my youth which I enjoyed was the fishing - trout fishing - in the streams in the mountains, and the one stream in particular which arose out of a deep ravine in the mountains - arose at the site of Washington's encounter at the opening of the French and Indian War where the first shot was fired there which was literally heard round the world in those days - upset the thrones in Europe and pretty much changed the face of political Europe."

Quotes

Additional Photos

Marshall's sister and brother both did well in school, but Marshall did not. He was behind in reading, math, spelling, even handwriting and he felt ashamed about it. Marshall very much wanted others to respect him, but only in one subject did his great intelligence shine through-history. Back then, would anyone have believed that this struggling student would one day make history? It seemed impossible, just as impossible as imagining a world of cars, airplanes, televisions-and global war.

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Biography Excerpt