Marlborough Churchill (August 11, 1878 – July 9, 1947) was a U.S. Army officer. Together with Herbert Yardley, he was instrumental in establishing the joint U.S. Department of State and Department of War's cryptanalytic group, called the Black Chamber.
Early life and education He was born on August 11, 1878, in Andover, Massachusetts, a son of Professor John Wesley Churchill of Andover Theological Seminary and Mary (Cooper) Churchill. Churchill graduated from Phillips Academy in 1896 and then attended Harvard University, graduating in 1900.
Military career He was commissioned in the Field Artillery Branch on 17 September 1901 with date of rank 1 July 1901. He was promoted to first lieutenant on 25 January 1907 and to captain on April 13, 1911. He was promoted to major on May 15, 1917. On June 12, 1918, he was promoted to colonel in the National Army. On August 8, 1918, he was promoted to brigadier general.
In 1917, Churchill served on the general staff of the American Expeditionary Force in France. On 5 June 1918, Brigadier General Churchill succeeded Ralph Van Deman as head of the Military Intelligence Branch of the War Department, where he remained until 19 August 1920. In this capacity, Churchill advocated in December 1918 that MI-8, Cipher Bureau, then headed by Herbert Yardley, continue to do its cryptanalyic work after World War I.Alvarez, David (2000) Secret Messages: Codebreaking and American Diplomacy, 1930-1945, (Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas), p. 9. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for his service during World War I.
He was discharged as brigadier general on 30 June 1920 and reverted to the rank of major. He retired from the U.S. Army for disability in the line of duty with the rank of lieutenant colonel on 16 January 1924. U.S. Army Register. 1925. pg. 694.
Awards He received the Army Distinguished Service Medal. The citation for the medal reads:
His other decorations included Order of the Bath, officer of the Legion of Honor, commander of the Order of the Crown of Italy, and commander of the Order of Leopold.
Personal life He married Mary Smith on October 7, 1904.
Death and legacy He died on July 9, 1947, in Manhattan, New York City. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
Churchill is a member of the Military Intelligence Hall of Fame.
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