M. Lee Marshall

Maple Lee "M. Lee" Marshall (June 17, 1884 – August 1, 1950) was an American food corporation executive and international relief official who served as president and chairman of the Continental Baking Company and held various governmental and humanitarian roles.

Early life and education Born in Marshall, Missouri on June 17, 1884, the son of Charles E. Marshall and Lee Willis Marshall, Maple Lee Marshall was the great-great-great-grandson of John Marshall, the first Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court.

His father worked as a bookkeeper at the Rea and Page Flour Mill. The family later relocated to Kansas City, where Marshall attended local elementary schools and briefly attended Manual Training High School. During his youth, he held various part-time jobs, including positions as a newsboy for the Kansas City Star, a Western Union messenger, and a sandwich vendor at a local ballpark.

Career In 1901, Marshall began his professional career as an office boy at the H.P. Wright Investment Company in Kansas City.

In 1915, Marshall became the manager of the Kansas City plant of the Campbell Baking Company, with the opportunity to purchase company stock. A year later, he was promoted to vice president. In 1922, when Campbell Baking Company merged with United Bakeries Corporation, Marshall was appointed vice president and director, overseeing forty bakeries.

In 1924, United Bakeries Corporation merged with General Baking and Ward Baking companies to form the Continental Baking Company. By 1927, Marshall had become chairman of the company (later also becoming president of the company in 1934), a position he held until 1944.

At the time that he was elected as chairman, the corporation was the largest baking company in the world, employing over 12,000 employees and operating over 100 bakeries in eighty-three cities across the United States. He also was one of the first industry leaders to commercialize wheat bread. This included a display and wheat field at the 1939 New York World's Fair.

Public service During World War II, Marshall served in several governmental roles. In April 1942, he was appointed Chief of the Shipping Procedure Branch of the United States Army Services of Supply, addressing bottlenecks in military supply logistics. From September 1942 to May 1943, he served on the War Production Board as a food consultant to chairman Donald Nelson.

In May 1943, he was appointed as the first Deputy Administrator (First Assistant Administrator) of the War Food Administration, overseeing the allocation of materials for food production and processing. In January 1944, he became Director of the Office of Distribution, responsible for ensuring the availability of food from farms to consumers. During this period, he also served as vice president and director of the Commodity Credit Corporation and president and director of the Federal Surplus Commodities Corporation.

After resigning from government service in early 1945, Marshall returned to the Continental Baking Company as chairman. an organization tasked with raising 60 million dollars and unifying major American voluntary overseas relief activities, including the United Nations Appeal for Children.

In the late 1940s, Marshall was appointed by President Harry S. Truman to serve on the Business Advisory Council of the Department of Commerce. In his hometown, Marshall was appointed as board chairman of Missouri Valley College in June 1950. He previously had served as the board's vice president.

Personal life Marshall was married to Anna McLuer of Kansas City in 1907, and they had one son. He was buried at Ferncliff Cemetery.

After his death, President Truman sent a message of condolence to Marshall's family.