Background
Magruder was born in London, United Kingdom, where his father was serving with the United States Public Health Service.
Magruder was born in London, United Kingdom, where his father was serving with the United States Public Health Service.
Later he attended Purdue University and received a master"s degree in mechanical engineering in 1932. Prior to World World War II, he served at various posts and assignments and also attended the Command and General Staff College and Army War College.
At the time of the United States. entry into World War I, he was attending the University of Virginia. He dropped out of college and was commissioned an infantry second lieutenant in 1918. With the end of the war, Magruder accepted an appointment to the United States Military Academy.
Upon graduation in 1923 he was commissioned in the field artillery.
He would later be the army"s top logistician. Magruder was assigned as the leader of the planning division of the Army Service Forces, organizing worldwide logistic support for the United States. war effort.
Staying in Europe after the end of the war, he became chief logistics officer of the army in Europe. He returned to the United States. serving as a staff officer from 1949 to 1953, and also serving in the delegation negotiating the Japanese and Austrian peace treaties.
Magruder took command of the 24th Infantry Division in of Korea in 1953, and in 1954 was promoted to Lieutenant General and assumed command of IX Corps.
Promoted to full general in 1959, Magruder returned to of Korea to command all United Nations and United States. forces. During his command, a military junta led by Park Chung-hee overthrew the elected premier, John Chang. Magruder was publicly criticized by retired General James Van Fleet for ordering South Korean officers to stay loyal to the civilian government.
Van fleet, who supported the coup, said that Magruder "acted illegally," and
"Those Republic of Korea generals who refused to go along with the coup should have disobeyed his order..It"s all right to talk about representative government, but except in great countries like the United States. and Great Britain, such a system lets elements get into the government and destroy it in underdeveloped countries where the enemy is lurking."
Magruder retired from the army in 1961.
After retiring form the army, Magruder worked as a logistics consultant to the Department of Defense and private industry. He died at the age of 87 of lung ailments on March 14, 1988 at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
He settled in Arlington, Virginia, and was a member of the Army-Navy Country Club and the Society of the Cincinnati.