John Otho Marsh Jr.

John Otho Marsh as Speaker at a Funeral (1985)

John Otho Marsh Jr. (born August 7, 1926 in Winchester , Virginia - † February 4, 2019 in Raphine , Rockbridge County , Virginia) was an American politician ( Democratic Party ). He represented the state of Virginia in the US House of Representatives and was Secretary of the United States Army between 1981 and 1989 .

Marsh joined the US Army in 1944 after finishing school . He held the rank of lieutenant and belonged to the Allied occupation forces in Germany . On his return to the United States, he became an officer in the Virginia National Guard, where he remained until 1976.

He received his PhD from Washington and Lee University , where he was a member of the Phi Kappa Psi Association . After joining the bar, Marsh began practicing law in Strasburg . He became New Market City Trial Attorney and Strasburg City Judge. Between 1963 and 1971 he represented the seventh constituency of Virginia in the US House of Representatives; In 1970 he did not stand for re-election.

After he initially worked as a lawyer again, Marsh in 1973 for Under Secretary of Defense ( Assistant Secretary of Defense appointed); he served as National Security Advisor to President Richard Nixon for seven months the following year , before resigning. Marsh also continued to work as a consultant under Nixon's successor, Gerald Ford .

From 1977 to 1981 Marsh went back to his legal profession before he returned to government services as Secretary of the Army . He held this position for the entire presidency of Ronald Reagan . He then retired in Shenandoah County , Virginia. He and his wife had three children and seven grandchildren.

Web links

Commons : John Otho Marsh  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

• John Otho Marsh in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
• Army biography