Wife of United States Army General Douglas MacArthur. Born in Nashville, Tennessee, she was the former Jean Marie Faircloth. They married him in 1937, while he was traveling to the Philippines to become Commander-in-Chief of the Philippine Army, having just retired from the US Army. She traveled widely after college and was on her way to China when she met MacArthur aboard ship in 1935. They were seated together at dinner, and the next day, he sent her flowers. "That was that," she said later. She got off at Manila, and remained for 1½ years as their romance flowered. They were married in a quiet ceremony in New York on April 30, 1937. They had one child, a son, Arthur, named for Douglas's father, born in 1938 in Manila. During the early, dark days of World War II, she chose to remain with her husband on Corrigidor, and was prepared to endure the hardships that would come with the American surrender. When General MacArthur was ordered to escape to Australia in late March 1942, she and Arthur accompanied him. Throughout the remainder of the war, she stayed by his side, but out of the limelight. During the postwar occupation of Japan, she represented him at official and social functions, and mingled with throngs of Japanese on her trips around Japan. Mrs. MacArthur, unassuming in public, strenuously guarded her family's private life, entertaining only during lunch and keeping their evenings free for themselves. Many years later, in the late 1950s, when they were attending a military parade, the band began to play the "Star Spangled Banner." She leaned over and whispered to her husband, "Listen, dear, they're playing our song." Near his death in 1964, MacArthur described his wife as "my constant friend, sweetheart and devoted supporter." After his death, she remained quiet and faithful to his memory. She remained active in theater, opera, civic and philanthropic pursuits, and served as honorary chairman of the Norfolk Virginia foundation created as a memorial to her husband. She was a big baseball fan, and often attended games in Yankee Stadium. When the Brooklyn Dodgers moved west, she became a Mets fan. In 1988, President Reagan awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, citing her as "a shining example, a woman of substance and character, a loyal wife and mother, and like her general, a patriot." She is buried next to her husband.
Wife of United States Army General Douglas MacArthur. Born in Nashville, Tennessee, she was the former Jean Marie Faircloth. They married him in 1937, while he was traveling to the Philippines to become Commander-in-Chief of the Philippine Army, having just retired from the US Army. She traveled widely after college and was on her way to China when she met MacArthur aboard ship in 1935. They were seated together at dinner, and the next day, he sent her flowers. "That was that," she said later. She got off at Manila, and remained for 1½ years as their romance flowered. They were married in a quiet ceremony in New York on April 30, 1937. They had one child, a son, Arthur, named for Douglas's father, born in 1938 in Manila. During the early, dark days of World War II, she chose to remain with her husband on Corrigidor, and was prepared to endure the hardships that would come with the American surrender. When General MacArthur was ordered to escape to Australia in late March 1942, she and Arthur accompanied him. Throughout the remainder of the war, she stayed by his side, but out of the limelight. During the postwar occupation of Japan, she represented him at official and social functions, and mingled with throngs of Japanese on her trips around Japan. Mrs. MacArthur, unassuming in public, strenuously guarded her family's private life, entertaining only during lunch and keeping their evenings free for themselves. Many years later, in the late 1950s, when they were attending a military parade, the band began to play the "Star Spangled Banner." She leaned over and whispered to her husband, "Listen, dear, they're playing our song." Near his death in 1964, MacArthur described his wife as "my constant friend, sweetheart and devoted supporter." After his death, she remained quiet and faithful to his memory. She remained active in theater, opera, civic and philanthropic pursuits, and served as honorary chairman of the Norfolk Virginia foundation created as a memorial to her husband. She was a big baseball fan, and often attended games in Yankee Stadium. When the Brooklyn Dodgers moved west, she became a Mets fan. In 1988, President Reagan awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, citing her as "a shining example, a woman of substance and character, a loyal wife and mother, and like her general, a patriot." She is buried next to her husband.
Bio by: Kit and Morgan Benson
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