Smedley Butler

Smedley Darlington Butler
Butler in uniform, c. 1929
Birth name	Smedley Darlington Butler
Nickname(s)	"Maverick Marine", "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	United States Marine Corps
Years of service	1898–1931
Rank	Major general
Commands	3rd 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 Boxer Rebellion Battle of Tientsin (WIA) Banana Wars Occupation of Nicaragua Occupation of Veracruz Occupation of Haiti 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

Smedley Darlington Butler (July 30, 1881 – June 21, 1940) was a United States Marine Corps officer and writer. During his 34-year military 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. military 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 Marine Corps Brevet Medal as well as two Medals of Honor, all for separate actions.

In 1933, Butler became involved in a controversy known as the Business Plot, when he told a United States congressional committee that a group of wealthy American industrialists were planning a coup d'état to overthrow President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Butler also claimed that the plotters of the alleged coup intended on using Butler, at the head of a group of veterans, to place the federal government under arrest. The individuals alleged to be involved in the coup all denied the existence of such a plot and the media ridiculed Butler's allegations, but a final report following an investigation by a special House of Representatives committee confirmed at least some of his testimony.

After retiring from the Marine Corps, Butler became an outspoken critic of American foreign policy and military interventions, which he saw being driven primarily by U.S. business interests. In 1935, Butler wrote the book War Is a Racket, where he argued that imperialist motivations had been the cause behind several American interventions, many of which he personally participated in. Butler also became an advocate for populist politics, speaking at meetings organized by veterans, pacifists, and church groups until his death in 1940.