
Courtney Whitney (20 May 1897-21 March 1969) was a US Army Major-General who served as a senior official during the Allied occupation of Japan following World War II.
Biography[]
Courtney Whitney was born in Washington DC, United States on 20 May 1897, and he enlisted in the US Army in 1917 and served in World War I as a pursuit pilot. In 1927, he received his law degree from George Washington University and opened a practice in Manila, Philippines, only to return to active duty in 1940.
He worked in intelligence in Washington DC, and Douglas MacArthur chose the ultra-conservative corporation lawyer Whitney to become responsible for Philippine civil affairs following the liberation of the Philippines, although Whitney was condescending toward the Filipinos and refused to let the OSS into the Philippines, lest they support leftist guerrillas.
After the end of World War II, Whitney headed the Government Division of the Allied occupation in Japan's supreme command (SCAP), and, while he was a conservative Republican, he helped to implement New Deal programs in Japan and liberalize Japanese politics.
He later accompanied MacArthur during the Korean War and received the Silver Star for his visits to the front, and he resigned after MacArthur was removed from command in 1951. He died in 1969 at the age of 71.