Douglas MacArthur

1880 – 1964

Douglas MacArthur was an American general who served as a top commander in the Pacific theater of World War II and as supreme commander of United Nations forces in the Korean War. As Army Chief of Staff in 1932 he led the violent expulsion of the Bonus Army of Great War veterans from the Mall in Washington, D.C., using cavalry, infantry, tanks, and tear gas. As UN commander in Korea he repeatedly defied orders from President Harry S. Truman to limit the conflict—publicly advocating the use of atomic weapons against Chinese forces—and was relieved of command in April 1951 in one of the most decisive civilian rebukes of an American military commander in the country's history.

Last checked: May 10, 2026, 1:06 PM