William Frederic Marquat (March 17, 1894 – May 29, 1960) was a

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

in the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

. Prior to his service in the military, Marquat was a reporter for ''

The Seattle Times ''The Seattle Times'' is a daily newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, United States. It was founded in 1891 and has been owned by the Blethen family since 1896. ''The Seattle Times'' has the largest circulation of any newspaper in Washington ...

''. Prior to the Japanese invasion of 1941, Marquat served with the

Office of the Military Advisor to the Commonwealth Government of the Philippines The Office of the Military Advisor to the Commonwealth Government (OMACG) was created in 1935 upon the initiative of President Manuel L. Quezon by the Philippine and American governments for the purposes of developing a system of national defense f ...

, as the chief

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...

advisor.

Early life

Marquat was born on March 17, 1894, in

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

to William and Sara (Layden) Marquat. He moved to the state of Washington and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the

Washington National Guard The Washington National Guard is one of the four elements of the State of Washington's Washington Military Department and a component of the National Guard of the United States. It is headquartered at Camp Murray, Washington and is defined by ...

Coast Artillery Corps in October 1916. Marquat was called to federal service for

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

in July 1917 and served as a temporary captain from October 1918 to July 1919. After the war, he returned to ''The Seattle Times'' as automobile editor. Marquat accepted a commission as a captain in the Regular Army in September 1920.

Military career timeline

Military Timeline

*World War I—Coast Artillery Office * Post World War I ** 1932–1933—Student officer at

Command and General Staff School The United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC or, obsolete, USACGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

** Staff officer to

General MacArthur Douglas MacArthur (26 January 18805 April 1964) was an American military leader who served as General of the Army for the United States, as well as a field marshal to the Philippine Army. He had served with distinction in World War I, was C ...

** Commander of the 14th Anti-Aircraft Command * Post World War II ** Chair of the

Allied Council for Japan Japan was occupied and administered by the victorious Allies of World War II from the 1945 surrender of the Empire of Japan at the end of the war until the Treaty of San Francisco took effect in 1952. The occupation, led by the United States wi ...

** 1945–1952—Head of the Economics and Science Section General Headquarters for the Supreme Allied Powers -

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

, Japan ** 1952–1955—Chief of Civil Affairs and Military Government ** 1955—retires

History

Following the restoration of the capital of the Republic of Korea to its President and before the Seoul area was free of enemy activity, General Marquat, completely disregarding his own safety, toured the region by vehicle to obtain first-hand information vital to planning effective anti-aircraft installations necessary to forestall surprise enemy air attacks. Later, in anticipation of increased enemy air activity, General Marquat traveled over terrain harassed by sniper fire and endangered by land mines to inspect anti-aircraft installations. His personal concern for his troops, aggressive actions in ground surveillance, and presence in the forward areas inspired his units to a high degree of efficiency and contributed materially to the United Nations effort in Korea. General Marquat's inspirational courage and his unfaltering devotion to duty as a leader upholds the highest traditions of the military service.

Awards

Distinguished Service Cross - for actions during World War II 2 - Army Distinguished Service Medals - for actions during World War II 1 - Army Distinguished Service Medal - for actions during the Cold War 1 - Silver Star - for actions during World War II 1 - Silver Star - for actions during the Korean War Air Medal - for actions during World War II

Later life

Marquat and his wife Eula lived in Washington, D.C. after his retirement. He suffered a stroke in 1959. Marquat died on May 29, 1960, at 3:00 am at Walter Reed Hospital. He was interred at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

three days later.

Marquat library

The Marquat Library was formed, in 1969, at Fort Gordon,

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, at the US Army Civil Affairs School. The library was moved, in 1973 when the school moved to

Fort Bragg, North Carolina Fort Bragg is a military installation of the United States Army in North Carolina, and is one of the largest military installations in the world by population, with around 54,000 military personnel. The military reservation is located within C ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marquat, William F. 1894 births 1960 deaths Musicians from St. Louis The Seattle Times people Washington National Guard personnel American military personnel of World War I United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni American people in the American Philippines United States Army generals of World War II Recipients of the Air Medal Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army) United States Army generals United States Army personnel of the Korean War Military personnel from Washington, D.C. Burials at Arlington National Cemetery