(b. January 26, 1880; d. April 5, 1964) Commander of American forces in the Pacific during World War II, oversaw rebuilding of Japan, and led U.N. forces in Korean War.

Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, Douglas MacArthur, son of Arthur MacArthur (a Civil War hero), graduated from West Point in 1903, fought in World War I, and commanded American forces in the Pacific during World War II. As Supreme Allied Powers Commander in Japan from 1945 to 1950, General of the Army Douglas MacArthur remade that country. An Olympian figure, he forced the Japanese to accept such fundamental reforms as democratization, reduction of the emperor to a ceremonial role, and renunciation of force in international affairs (except in self-defense). MacArthur thus oversaw one of the most successful military transformations of an occupied country in history.

MacArthur's authority extended to the U.S. occupation of Korea south of the 38th parallel. On August...