"Old Gimlet Eye", "The Fighting Quaker", "Fighting Hell-Devil"
Born
(1881-07-30)July 30, 1881 West Chester, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died
June 21, 1940(1940-06-21) (aged 58) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Allegiance
United States
Service/branch
Marine Corps
Years of service
1898–1931
Rank
Major general
Commands held
3d Battalion, 1st Marines
13th Marines
Marine Barracks, Quantico
Marine Corps Base, San Diego
3rd Marine Brigade
Marine Barracks, Quantico
Battles/wars
Spanish–American War
Philippine–American War
Battle of Noveleta
Boxer Rebellion
Battle of Tientsin (WIA)
Battle of San Tan Pating
Banana Wars
Battle of Masaya
Siege of Granada, Nicaragua
Battle of Coyotepe Hill
Infiltration of Mexico City
Battle of Fort Dipitie
Battle of Fort Rivière
Mexican Revolution
Battle of Veracruz
World War I
Defensive Sector
Awards
Medal of Honor (2)
Marine Corps Brevet Medal
Military Medal (Haiti)
Commander of the Order of the Black Star (France)
See more
Relations
Smedley Darlington (grandfather)
Samuel Butler (grandfather)
Thomas S. Butler (father)
Isabel Darlington (aunt)
Other work
Activist, official, lecturer, writer
Director of Public Safety for Philadelphia
In office January 7, 1924 – December 23, 1925
Major General Smedley Darlington Butler (July 30, 1881 – June 21, 1940), nicknamed the Maverick Marine, was a senior United States Marine Corps officer. During his 34-year career, he fought in the Philippine–American War, the Boxer Rebellion, the Mexican Revolution, World War I, and the Banana Wars. At the time of his death, Butler was the most decorated Marine in U.S. history. By the end of his career, Butler had received sixteen medals, including five for heroism; he is the only Marine to be awarded the Brevet Medal as well as two Medals of Honor, all for separate actions.
In 1933, he became involved in a controversy known as the Business Plot, when he told a congressional committee that a group of wealthy industrialists were planning a military coup to overthrow President Franklin D. Roosevelt, with Butler selected to lead a march of veterans to become dictator, similar to fascist regimes at that time. The individuals involved all denied the existence of a plot, which included the father of George H. W. Bush, Prescott Bush, and the media ridiculed the allegations, but a final report by a special House of Representatives Committee confirmed some of Butler's testimony.
Butler later became an outspoken critic of American wars and their consequences. In 1935, Butler wrote the book War Is a Racket, where he alleged imperialist motivations for U.S. foreign policy and wars (such as those in which he had been involved). After retiring from service, he became a popular advocate, speaking at meetings organized by veterans, pacifists, and church groups in the 1930s.
Major General Smedley Darlington Butler (July 30, 1881 – June 21, 1940), nicknamed the Maverick Marine, was a senior United States Marine Corps officer...
government of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and install SmedleyButler as dictator. Butler, a retired Marine Corps major general, testified under oath...
military officer in the Banana Wars was U.S. Marine Corps Major General SmedleyButler, nicknamed "Maverick Marine", who saw action in Honduras in 1903, served...
have been awarded the Medal of Honor twice. Daly and Major General SmedleyButler are the only Marines who earned two Medals of Honor for two separate...
War Is a Racket is a speech and a 1935 short book by Smedley D. Butler, a retired United States Marine Corps Major General and two-time Medal of Honor...
1915. It became operational in February of the following year, with SmedleyButler (then a Marine Corps major) assuming the post of commandant of gendarmes...
withdrawal from Nicaraguan waters. On May 27, 1910, U.S. Marine Corps Major SmedleyButler arrived on the coast of Nicaragua with 250 Marines, for the purpose...
did the voices of Chilly Willy, Smedley, Maxie the Polar Bear, Gooney, and Sam in the Maggie and Sam series. Butler was born on November 16, 1916, in...
a Littoral regiment of the United States Marine Corps based at Camp SmedleyButler, Okinawa, Japan. Nicknamed "Thunder and Steel," the regiment falls under...
School, Darlington was the daughter of Congressman Smedley Darlington and the aunt of General SmedleyButler. Isabel Darlington was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania...
some of America's wealthy to trick Retired Marine Corps Major General SmedleyButler into helping them overthrow President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Bush was...
118 "Medal of Honor Recipients Veracruz 1914". Butler, S. D. (1992). General Smedley Darlington Butler: The letters of a leatherneck, 1898-1931 [eBook...
Smedley can refer to: SmedleyButler (1881–1940), U.S. Marine Corps major general, double recipient of the Medal of Honor Smedley Crooke (1861–1951),...
USS Butler (DD-636), a Gleaves-class destroyer, is the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for Marine Corps Major General SmedleyButler, twice...
stay warm, and often meeting opposition from a dog named Smedley (voiced by Daws Butler). Smedley has a large mouth and sharp-pointed teeth (which he shows...
Bentley (born 1979), "Maverick Matt", American professional wrestler SmedleyButler (1881–1940), the "Maverick Marine", US Marine Corps officer Hossein...
individual to receive two Medals of Honor for two different actions was SmedleyButler, in 1914 and 1915. None of the double awardees earned two distinct medals...
the wife of Thomas S. Butler, who also served in Congress, and the mother of Marine Corps Major General Smedley Darlington Butler. He was the second cousin...
again activated at MCB Quantico under the command of Brigadier General SmedleyButler. The Brigade subsequently deployed to Shanghai, China with artillery...
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