List of United States Army four-star generals explained

The rank of general (or full general, or four-star general) is the highest rank normally achievable in the United States Army. It ranks above lieutenant general (three-star general) and below general of the Army (five-star general).

There have been 260 four-star generals in the history of the U.S. Army. Of these, 246 achieved that rank while on active duty in the U.S. Army; eight were promoted after retirement; five were promoted posthumously; and one (George Washington) was appointed to that rank in the Continental Army, the U.S. Army's predecessor. Generals entered the Army via several paths: 163 were commissioned via the U.S. Military Academy (USMA), 54 via Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) at a civilian university, 15 via Officer Candidate School (OCS), 13 via direct commission (direct), 11 via ROTC at a senior military college, one via ROTC at a military junior college, one via direct commission in the Army National Guard (ARNG), one via the aviation cadet program, and one via battlefield commission.

List of generals

Entries in the following list of four-star generals are indexed by the numerical order in which each officer was promoted to that rank while on active duty, or by an asterisk (*) if the officer did not serve in that rank while on active duty in the U.S. Army. Each entry lists the general's name, date of rank, active-duty positions held while serving at four-star rank, number of years of active-duty service at four-star rank (Yrs), year commissioned and source of commission, number of years in commission when promoted to four-star rank (YC), and other biographical notes.

#! scope="col" style="width: 10em;"
NamePhotoDate of rankPositionYrsCommissionYCNotes
  81775 (direct) 0 (1732–1799) Promoted to General of the Armies, 4 Jul 1976. Chancellor, College of William & Mary, 1788–1799;[1] U.S. President, 1789–1797. Awarded Congressional Gold Medal, 1776.
1   51843 (USMA) 23 (1822–1885) Promoted to General of the Armies, 19 Apr 2024. U.S. President, 1869–1877. Awarded Congressional Gold Medal, 1863. Married great-aunt of Navy four-star admiral U. S. Grant Sharp Jr.[2]
2   141840 (USMA) 29 (1820–1891) Superintendent, Louisiana State Seminary of Learning and Military Academy, 1860–1861. Brother of U.S. Secretary of State John Sherman.
3   01853 (USMA) 35 (1831–1888) Died in office.
4   21875 (USMA) 42 (1853–1930) President, U.S. Army War College, 1903–1905, 1909;[3] Governor, U.S. Soldiers' Home, 1920–1927.
5   71886 (USMA) 31 (1860–1948) Promoted to General of the Armies, 3 Sep 1919. Chairman, American Battle Monuments Commission, 1923–1948; Chairman, Tacna-Arica Plebiscitary Commission, 1925–1926. Awarded Pulitzer Prize for History, 1932; Congressional Gold Medal, 1946.[4]
6   21888 (USMA) 30 (1864–1955)
7   11892 (USMA) 37 (1867–1955) President, The Citadel, 1931–1953.
8   91903 (USMA) 27 (1880–1964) Promoted to general of the Army, 18 Dec 1944. Superintendent, U.S. Military Academy, 1919–1922. Awarded Medal of Honor, 1942; Congressional Gold Medal, 1962. Grandson of Wisconsin Governor Arthur MacArthur Sr.
9   81898 (USMA) 37 (1875–1945) Commandant, U.S. Army War College, 1935.
10   51902 (VMI) 38 (1880–1959) Promoted to general of the Army, 16 Dec 1944. Special Representative of the President in China, 1945–1947; U.S. Secretary of State, 1947–1949; Chairman, American Battle Monuments Commission, 1949–1959; President, American Red Cross, 1949–1950; U.S. Secretary of Defense, 1950–1951. Awarded Congressional Gold Medal, 1946; Nobel Peace Prize, 1953.
 
  • (retired)
01891 (USMA) 49 (1868–1968) Chief of Staff, U.S. Army, 1924–1926.
11   11915 (USMA) 28 (1890–1969) Promoted to general of the Army, 20 Dec 1944. President, Columbia University, 1948–1953; U.S. President, 1953–1961.
12   11907 (USMA) 36 (1886–1950) Promoted to general of the Army, 21 Dec 1944; to general of the Air Force, 7 May 1949.
13   21904 (USMA) 40 (1883–1946) Died in office.
14   11901 (direct) 44 (1881–1967)
15   11914 (USMA) 31 (1892–1955)
16   71915 (USMA) 30 (1893–1972)
17   41909 (USMA) 36 (1887–1979) Chairman, American Battle Monuments Commission, 1960–1969.[5]
18   61917 (cadet) 28 (1889–1977)
19   81917 (USMA) 28 (1896–1984) President, The Citadel, 1954–1965;[6] Chairman, American Battle Monuments Commission, 1969–1984.
20   31914 (USMA) 31 (1891–1974)
21   51915 (USMA) 30 (1893–1981) Promoted to general of the Army, 22 Sep 1950. Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom with distinction, 1977.
22   91916 (VMI) 29 (1892–1982)
23   01909 (USMA) 36 (1885–1945) Died in office. Father-in-law of Army four-star general John K. Waters.
24   41909 (direct) 36 (1887–1966)
25   11906 (USMA) 39 (1883–1953) National Commander, Disabled American Veterans, 1948–1949. Awarded Medal of Honor, 1945.[8]
26   21918 (USMA) 29 (1897–1978) Special Representative of the President in Berlin, 1961–1962. Son of U.S. Senator Alexander S. Clay; father of Air Force four-star general Lucius D. Clay Jr.[9]
27   81917 (USMA) 31 (1896–1987) U.S. Special Representative to Vietnam, 1954–1955.[10]
28   21912 (USMA) 37 (1889–1971) President, Association of the United States Army, 1950–1951; Governor, U.S. Soldiers' Home, 1951–1966.[11]
 
  • (posthumous)
01912 (USMA) 38 (1889–1950) Died in office. Father of Army four-star general Sam S. Walker.
29   41917 (USMA) 34 (1895–1993) Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom, 1986; Congressional Gold Medal, 1990.
30   21917 (direct) 34 (1895–1961) U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union, 1946–1948; U.S. Under Secretary of State, 1953–1954.[12]
31   41917 (direct) 34 (1895–1975) Chairman, President's Board of Consultants on Foreign Intelligence Activities, 1958–1961.
32   21915 (USMA) 36 (1892–1992)[13] Special Representative of the President in the Far East, 1954.
33   51917 (USMA) 34 (1899–1983) President, American Red Cross, 1957–1964.[14]
34   11917 (direct) 35 (1893–1963)
35   91922 (USMA) 31 (1901–1987)[15] Superintendent, U.S. Military Academy, 1945–1949; U.S. Ambassador to South Vietnam, 1964–1965; Chairman, President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board, 1965–1969; President, Institute for Defense Analyses, 1966–1969.
36   21917 (direct) 36 (1895–1989)
37   21916 (USMA) 37 (1894–1979)
 
  • (retired)
01909 (USMA) 45 (1886–1961) Superintendent, U.S. Military Academy, 1940–1942.[16]
 
  • (retired)
01917 (direct) 37 (1895–1965) Deputy Director for Coordination, Central Intelligence Agency, 1953–1959.[17]
 
  • (retired)
01911 (VMI) 43 (1888–1972)
 
  • (retired)
01909 (USMA) 45 (1888–1980)
 
  • (retired)
01901 (direct) 53 (1879–1966)
 
  • (posthumous)
01908 (USMA) 46 (1886–1945) Killed in action. Son of Kentucky Governor Simon Bolivar Buckner Sr.
 
  • (posthumous)
01913 (USMA) 41 (1889–1945) Died in office.
 
  • (posthumous)
01904 (USMA) 50 (1883–1944) Killed in action.
 
  • (retired)
01898 (direct) 56 (1880–1962) Commandant, U.S. Army War College, 1937–1939.
 
  • (retired)
01918 (USMA) 36 (1897–1989) Special Representative of the President in China and Korea, 1947. Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom, 1985.[18]
 
  • (posthumous)
01904 (USMA) 50 (1882–1954) Military Governor of Hawaii, 1943–1944.[19]
38   21917 (direct) 37 (1896–1975)
39   11918 (USMA) 37 (1898–1975) Chairman, New York State Civil Defense Commission, 1960–1963.
40   141920 (USMA) 35 (1899–1988)[21] President, Association of the United States Army, 1955.[22] Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom, 1987.
41   71919 (USMA) 36 (1899–1973)[23] Brother of Army four-star general Charles D. Palmer.
42   61922 (Norwich) 33 (1901–1990)
43   21919 (USMA) 37 (1898–1969)
44   31922 (USMA) 34 (1900–1993)[24] Commissioner, New York State Office of General Services, 1960–1971.
45   61924 (ROTC) 32 (1902–1980) President, Association of the United States Army, 1952–1955.[25]
46   31920 (USMA) 36 (1899–1962)
47   41925 (USMA) 33 (1901–1988)
48   31924 (USMA) 35 (1902–1992) Commandant, U.S. Army War College, 1955.
49   21923 (USMA) 36 (1900–1988)
50   31924 (USMA) 35 (1902–1999) Brother of Army four-star general Williston B. Palmer.
51   21924 (VMI) 36 (1903–1982)
52   31924 (USMA) 36 (1902–1986) Commandant, U.S. Army War College, 1953–1955; U.S. High Commissioner, Ryukyu Islands, 1955–1958.
53   31926 (ROTC) 34 (1903–1998)[26] U.S. Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa, 1963–1967.
54   31927 (USMA) 34 (1905–1989) President, American Red Cross, 1964–1970.[27]
55   21927 (USMA) 34 (1903–1964)
56  
  • Commander in Chief, U.S. Strike Command (USCINCSTRIKE), 1961–1963.
  • Commander in Chief, U.S. Strike Command/U.S. Commander in Chief, Middle East, Africa South of the Sahara, and South Asia (USCINCSTRIKE/USCINCMEAFSA), 1963–1966.
51928 (USMA) 33 (1906–1987)
57   21929 (USMA) 33 (1904–1984) Relieved, 1964.[28]
58   81932 (USMA) 30 (1908–1975) Widow married Army four-star general Frank S. Besson Jr.
59   21930 (USMA) 32 (1908–1979)[29] President, Norwich University, 1966–1972.
60   51929 (USMA) 33 (1907–1988)
61   41930 (USMA) 32 (1905–1986)
62   31931 (USMA) 32 (1906–1989)[30] Son-in-law of Army four-star general George S. Patton.
63   41930 (USMA) 33 (1907–2005)
64   61931 (USMA) 32 (1909–1994) Commissioner, New York State Department of Transportation, 1969–1972.[31]
65   21930 (USMA) 33 (1908–1998)
66   11931 (USMA) 33 (1909–1979) President, The Citadel, 1965–1970.
67   61932 (USMA) 32 (1910–1985)[32] Incorporator, National Rail Passenger Corporation, 1970–1971; Member, Board of Directors, Amtrak, 1971–1977.[33] Married widow of Army four-star general Earle G. Wheeler.
68   41933 (USMA) 31 (1912–1983)
69   81936 (USMA) 28 (1914–2005)[34] Superintendent, U.S. Military Academy, 1960–1963; candidate for Republican Party nomination for Governor of South Carolina, 1974.
70   101936 (USMA) 28 (1914–1974)[35] Died in office. Father of Army four-star generals John N. Abrams and Robert B. Abrams.
71   41930 (USMA) 35 (1908–2000)
72   31932 (USMA) 33 (1908–2000)
73   31931 (USMA) 35 (1909–1977)
74  
  • Commander in Chief, U.S. Strike Command/U.S. Commander in Chief, Middle East, Africa South of the Sahara, and South Asia (USCINCSTRIKE/USCINCMEAFSA), 1966–1969.
31933 (USMA) 33 (1909–1990)
75   41933 (USMA) 34 (1911–1992) Distant cousin of U.S. President James K. Polk.
76   61935 (USMA) 32 (1913–2011)
77   31932 (USMA) 35 (1910–1996)
78   61939 (USMA) 29 (1915–2005)[36] White House Staff Secretary, 1954–1961; Superintendent, U.S. Military Academy, 1977–1981; President, Institute for Defense Analyses, 1983–1985; Chairman, American Battle Monuments Commission, 1985–1990. Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom, 1984.
79   31933 (USMA) 35 (1911–1981)
80   31934 (USMA) 34 (1911–1997)
81   61936 (USMA) 32 (1913–2000)
82   21932 (USMA) 37 (1911–1993)
83   11938 (USMA) 31 (1914–1993)
84   61940 (ROTC) 29 (1918–2004)
85  
  • Commander in Chief, U.S. Strike Command/U.S. Commander in Chief, Middle East, Africa South of the Sahara, and South Asia (USCINCSTRIKE/USCINCMEAFSA), 1969–1972.
  • Commander in Chief, U.S. Readiness Command (USCINCRED), 1972–1973.
41935 (USMA) 34 (1913–1986)
86   31936 (USMA) 33 (1912–1985)
87  
  • Presidential Advisor on Manpower Mobilization, 1970–1973.
41913 (ARNG) 56 (1893–1977) Relieved, 1973. Director, Selective Service System, 1941–1970.[37]
88   61938 (ROTC) 32 (1916–2010)
89   51940 (USMA) 30 (1915–2010)
90   21939 (USMA) 32 (1913–1990)
91   41939 (USMA) 32 (1917–2006) Aunt married Navy four-star admiral Arthur W. Radford.
92   21937 (USMA) 34 (1913–1984)
93   21940 (USMA) 32 (1915–2005) Superintendent, U.S. Military Academy, 1966–1969; Director, Defense Intelligence Agency, 1969–1972.
94[38] 51947 (USMA) 26 (1924–2010)[39] Deputy National Security Advisor, 1970–1973; U.S. Secretary of State, 1981–1982; candidate for Republican Party nomination for U.S. President, 1988.
95   51939 (USMA) 34 (1917–2008) Married widow of Marine Corps four-star general Keith B. McCutcheon.
96   41941 (ROTC) 32 (1919–1992)
97   31938 (USMA) 35 (1917–1991) U.S. Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, 1981–1985.
98   31937 (ROTC) 36 (1916–1981)
99   131943 (USMA) 31 (1921–2008)[40]
101   51944 (USMA) 30 (1921–2001)
101   21942 (USMA) 33 (1919–2013)
102   41944 (USMA) 31 (1920–2006)
103   41943 (USMA) 33 (1920–2008)[41] Superintendent, U.S. Military Academy, 1970–1974. Father-in-law of Army four-star general David H. Petraeus.
104   71943 (OCS) 33 (1923–2020)[42]
105   91944 (battlefield) 32 (1922–2016)[43] Special Presidential Emissary to Vietnam for POW/MIA Affairs, 1987–1997. Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom, 1992.
106   41942 (ROTC) 35 (1921–2009)
107   11946 (USMA) 31 (1925–2015)[44] Superintendent, Virginia Military Institute, 1981–1988. Son of Army four-star general Walton H. Walker.
108   61948 (USMA) 29 (1925–2011)
109   41946 (USMA) 32 (1924–2017)
110   41951 (USMA) 28 (1928–2020)[45]
111   81950 (USMA) 29 (1928–2024)[46]
112   21950 (USMA) 29 (1926–2019)[47]
113   71953 (USMA) 28 (1929–2013)
114   31949 (USMA) 32 (1927–2004)
115   21951 (ROTC) 31 (1929–2017) Brother of U.S. Secretary of Education Lauro Cavazos. First Hispanic to achieve the rank of general in the Army.[48]
116   41951 (ROTC) 31 (1929–2023)
117   31951 (USMA) 31 (1928–1993) First African-American to achieve the rank of general in the Army.
118   31951 (USMA) 32 (1929–2023)
119   21950 (USMA) 33 (1927–)
120   21950 (USMA) 33 (1928–2023)[49]
121   71953 (ROTC) 30 (1931–1995)[50]
122   31952 (ROTC) 32 (1931–2016)
123   31950 (direct) 34 (1926–2016)
124   11949 (OCS) 35 (1928–2007)
125   71954 (USMA) 31 (1929–2015)[51] U.S. Special Representative to Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1994.[52]
126   11955 (ROTC) 30 (1934–1986)[53] Died in office.
127   21953 (OCS) 32 (1930–2018)[54] Commandant, U.S. Army War College, 1980–1982; President, Association of the United States Army, 1988–1998.
128   51957 (USMA) 29 (1934–)
129   31954 (USMA) 32 (1931–2015)
130   41953 (OCS) 33 (1932–2023)[55]
131   21954 (USMA) 33 (1932–)
132   21955 (USMA) 32 (1933–2023) Relieved, 1989.[56] Chairman, American Battle Monuments Commission, 1994–2001.
133   21953 (USMA) 34 (1929–)
134   31953 (ROTC) 34 (1929–2009)
135   41958 (USMA) 30 (1936–2018)[57]
136   31956 (USMA) 32 (1934–2012)[58] Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom, 1991; Congressional Gold Medal, 1991.
137   41958 (ROTC) 31 (1936–)
138   41958 (ROTC) 31 (1937–2021)[59] Deputy National Security Advisor, 1987; National Security Advisor, 1987–1989; U.S. Secretary of State, 2001–2005. Awarded Congressional Gold Medal, 1991; Presidential Medal of Freedom, 1991 and, with distinction, 1993.
139   21956 (USMA) 33 (1933–2020)[60]
140   41959 (USMA) 30 (1936–)
141   31958 (USMA) 31 (1935–2020)[61]
142   51959 (Norwich) 31 (1937–2024)[62] President, Association of the United States Army, 1998–2016.
143   31958 (ROTC) 32 (1936–2022)[63]
144   71961 (USMA) 29 (1939–)
145   81962 (USMA) 29 (1939–)
146   31959 (USMA) 32 (1936–) Chairman, American Battle Monuments Commission, 2005–2009.
147   21958 (ROTC) 34 (1936–2012)
148   51959 (OCS) 33 (1936–2011)[64] Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom, 1997.
149   21960 (VMI) 32 (1938–)
150   41962 (VMI) 31 (1940–) Superintendent, Virginia Military Institute, 2003–2020.[65]
151   31962 (USMA) 31 (1940–2007) Deputy National Security Advisor for Combating Terrorism, 2001–2002.[66]
152   31960 (ROTC) 33 (1937–2024)[67]
153   21959 (OCS) 35 (1936–)
154   21964 (USMA) 30 (1942–) Director, National Drug Control Policy, 1996–2001.[68]
155   51963 (PMC) 31 (1941–) President, United Service Organizations, 2000–2002.
156   41963 (Citadel) 31 (1941–2020)[69]
157   31963 (ROTC) 32 (1941–)
158   21960 (ROTC) 35 (1936–2018)[70]
159   51964 (ROTC) 32 (1942–) Awarded Congressional Gold Medal, 2002.
160   31967 (OCS) 29 (1944–)
161   41966 (USMA) 30 (1944–) Candidate for Democratic Party nomination for U.S. President, 2004.[71] Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom, 2000.
162   21964 (USMA) 32 (1941–)
163   61965 (USMA) 32 (1942–) U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs, 2009–2014. First Asian-American to achieve four-star rank in any service.[72]
164   71969 (ROTC) 28 (1946–)
165   41967 (USMA) 31 (1945–)
166   41968 (OCS) 30 (1946–2018)[73] Son of Army four-star general Creighton W. Abrams Jr.; brother of Army four-star general Robert B. Abrams.
167   41967 (USMA) 31 (1945–2021)[74] Director, Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization, 2005–2007. Distant cousin of Navy four-star admiral Montgomery M. Taylor.
168   41966 (ROTC) 33 (1943–) Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom, 2020.
169   21963 (ROTC) 36 (1941–)
170   21965 (ROTC) 34 (1942–)
171   21968 (OCS) 32 (1946–)
172   31967 (OCS) 33 (1945–) Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom, 2004.
173   31967 (USMA) 34 (1945–)
174   31969 (ROTC) 32 (1946–)
175   41968 (ROTC) 34 (1946–)
176   21968 (ROTC) 34 (1946–)
177   31969 (OCS) 33 (1950–) Relieved, 2005.
178   61969 (ROTC) 33 (1947–)
179   41973 (USMA) 30 (1951–) U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, 2019–2021.[75]
180   41970 (OCS) 33 (1948–) First army aviator to achieve the rank of general.[76]
181   81970 (ROTC) 33 (1948–)
182   41972 (USMA) 32 (1950–)
183   41968 (ROTC) 36 (1946–)
184   41970 (OCS) 34 (1946–)
185   41971 (ROTC) 33 (1949–)
186   31969 (USMA) 36 (1946–)
187   41972 (ROTC) 33 (1950–) Resigned, 2009.[77]
188   51971 (ROTC) 35 (1949–) U.S. Security Coordinator, Israel-Palestinian Authority, 2005.[78]
189   31970 (ROTC) 37 (1948–2016)[79]
190   4 1974 (USMA) 33 (1952–) Director, Central Intelligence Agency, 2011–2012. Son-in-law of Army four-star general William A. Knowlton.[80]
191   31974 (USMA) 34 (1952–)
192   41972 (ROTC) 36 (1950–)
193   51976 (ROTC) 32 (1952–) Chairman, National Commission on the Future of the Army, 2015–2016; President, Association of the United States Army, 2016–2021.[81]
194   71976 (USMA) 32 (1954–2021)[82]
195   41975 (direct) 33 (1953–) First woman to achieve four-star rank in any service.
196   71974 (USMA) 34 (1952–)
197   11976 (USMA) 33 (1954–) Resigned, 2010.[83]
198   41974 (USMA) 36 (1952–) Director, National Security Agency, 2005–2014.
199   31975 (ROTC) 35 (1953–)
200   61975 (USMA) 35 (1953–) U.S. Secretary of Defense, 2021–2025.[84]
201   31979 (USMA) 32 (1957–2016)[85]
202   31978 (USMA) 33 (1954–)
203   51976 (USMA) 35 (1954–)
204   41980 (ROTC) 32 (1958–)
205   41981 (OCS) 31 (1951–) Served 12 years in the enlisted ranks before receiving his commission in 1981. First Army National Guard officer to achieve the rank of general.
206   31979 (USMA) 34 (1957–)
207   41981 (USMA) 32 (1959–)
208   51980 (USMA) 33 (1958–)
209   61978 (USMA) 35 (1956–)
210   41980 (USMA) 34 (1957–)
211   91980 (ROTC) 34 (1958–)
212   51980 (USMA) 34 (1958–)
213   61982 (USMA) 33 (1960–) Son of Army four-star general Creighton W. Abrams Jr.; brother of Army four-star general John N. Abrams.
214   21982 (USMA) 34 (1957–) Nephew of U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert J. Nicholson.
215   31980 (USMA) 36 (1958–)
216   31981 (USMA) 35 (1959–) President, Association of the United States Army, 2021–present.[86]
217   51981 (VFMAC) 35 (1960–)
218   61981 (USMA) 36 (1959–)
219   41982 (NGCSU) 36 (1959–)
220   61986 (ROTC) 32 (1963–)
221   31983 (ROTC) 35 (–)
222   31982 (ROTC) 36 (–)
223   31983 (USMA) 35 (1961–)
224   31984 (ROTC) 35 (1961–) Chairman, American Battle Monuments Commission, 2023–present.[87]
225   31984 (USMA) 35 (1962–)
226   31984 (ROTC) 35 (1962–)
227   31986 (USMA) 33 (1962–)
228   51985 (USMA) 34 (1963–)
229   31987 (USMA) 33 (1965–)
230   41986 (USMA) 34 (1963–)
231   41985 (ROTC) 35 (–)
232   41987 (ROTC) 33 (–)
233   31985 (ROTC) 36 (–) Brother of National Security Advisor Michael T. Flynn.[88]
234   31986 (ROTC) 35 (1963–)
235   21988 (USMA) 34 (1966–)
236   21983 (USMA) 39 (1961–) Superintendent, U.S. Military Academy, 2018–2022.
237   21988 (USMA) 34 (–)
238   21988 (USMA) 34 (1964–)
239   21987 (ROTC) 35 (1965–)
240   21987 (ROTC) 35 (1964–)
241   21987 (ROTC) 35 (–)
242   11988 (OCS) 35 (–)
243   01985 (ROTC) 39 (1964–)
244   01988 (USMA) 36 (1966–)
245   01992 (USMA) 32 (1969–)
246   01990 (ROTC) 34 (–)

History

1775–1799

In June 1775, the Continental Congress appointed George Washington as general and commander in chief of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. At the war's end in 1783, Washington resigned his commission. As this occurred before the establishment of the United States Army in 1784, he is therefore considered never to have held the U.S. Army rank of general.[89]

In May 1798, Washington was commissioned as a lieutenant general in the United States Army by his successor as president, John Adams, to command the provisional army being raised for the undeclared Quasi-War with France. In March 1799, the United States Congress elevated the lieutenant generalcy to the rank of "General of the Armies of the United States", but Adams thought the new rank infringed on his constitutional role as commander in chief and never made the appointment.[90] Washington died later that year, and the rank lapsed when not mentioned in the Military Peace Establishment Act of 1802.[91] He was promoted posthumously to the rank in 1978, after it was reestablished for him as part of the 1976 United States Bicentennial celebrations.[92]

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1866–1941

Civil War and aftermath

The rank of General of the Armies was revived in 1866, with the name "General of the Army of the United States" to reward the Civil War achievements of Ulysses S. Grant, the commanding general of the United States Army (CGUSA).[93] As with the prior rank and that of lieutenant general revived for Grant in 1864, the holder was authorized to command the armies of the United States, subject to presidential authority.[94] Grant vacated his commission to become president in March 1869, and the lieutenant general of the Army, William Tecumseh Sherman, was promoted to succeed him as general. The grade was abolished after Sherman's retirement in February 1884, in accordance with legislation passed in 1870.[95]

After Sherman's retirement, the ban on new appointments to the grade of general was relaxed twice. In March 1885, Grant was out of office, bankrupt, and dying, so Congress authorized the president to reappoint him to the rank and full pay of general on the retired list.[96] Congress made a similar exception in June 1888 to promote the ailing lieutenant general of the Army, Philip Sheridan, by discontinuing the grade of lieutenant general and merging it with the grade of general until Sheridan's death two months later.[97]

Since there was only one active duty four-star general in the Army during this period, the grade was interchangeably referred to as "general", "the General", and "the General of the Army", a title not to be confused with the five-star grade of general of the Army created in 1944.[98]

World War I

In 1917, the rank of general was recreated in the National Army, a temporary force of conscripts and volunteers authorized for the duration of the World War I emergency. To give American commanders parity of rank with their Allied counterparts, Congress allowed the president to appoint two emergency generals in the National Army, specified to be the chief of staff of the Army (CSA), Tasker H. Bliss and later Peyton C. March; and the commander of the American Expeditionary Forces (CG AEF) in France, John J. Pershing.[99] When Bliss reached the retirement age of 64 and stepped down as chief of staff, he was reappointed emergency general by brevet to serve alongside full generals from allied nations as the U.S. military representative to the Supreme War Council.[100]

All emergency grades expired at the end of the war, so in July 1919, eight months after the armistice, President Woodrow Wilson asked Congress to reward March and Pershing by making them both permanent generals, with Pershing senior to March.[101] [102] Pershing's promotion was authorized on 3 September 1919, just in time for the secretary of war to hand him his new commission when he returned from Europe. Congress and Pershing both opposed March's promotion, having clashed with him during the war, so he reverted to major general alongside Bliss when their emergency grades expired on 30 June 1920.[103] [104] Both were restored to their wartime ranks of general on the retired list in 1930.[105]

Interwar

Pershing succeeded March as Army chief of staff in the permanent grade of general, and served from 1921 to 1924. The grade lapsed with his retirement, leaving the rank of major general as the highest available grade in the peacetime Army, and his two-star successors, John L. Hines and Charles P. Summerall, outranked by their four-star Navy counterpart, the chief of naval operations.[106] The temporary rank of general was reauthorized for the chief of staff in 1929, elevating Summerall. In 1940, special legislation advanced Hines to general on the retired list as the only living former chief of staff never to wear four stars.

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1941–1991

World War II and aftermath

The United States entered World War II on 7 December 1941 with one Army general, chief of staff George Marshall, authorized. Legislation enacted in 1933 and amended in 1940 allowed the president to appoint officers of the Regular Army, the Army's professional military component, to higher temporary grades in time of war or national emergency.[107] As with the National Army emergency generals, these appointments expired after the end of the war, although postwar legislation allowed officers to retire in their highest active-duty rank.[108] On 19 December 1941, the Senate confirmed Douglas MacArthur to be the first temporary general in the Army of the United States, the reconstituted draft force, as he fought the Japanese invasion of the Philippines.[109] [110]

Three new Army generals were appointed over the next two years. Dwight D. Eisenhower was appointed temporary general in February 1943, to command Allied forces in North Africa and later Europe; Henry H. Arnold in March 1943, as commanding general of Army Air Forces and member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff;[111] and Joseph W. Stilwell in August 1944,[112] as commander of the China Burma India Theater and chief of staff to Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek. Marshall, MacArthur, Eisenhower, and Arnold were further promoted to the temporary five-star grade of general of the Army in December 1944, made permanent in March 1946.[113] Malin Craig, Marshall's predecessor as Army chief of staff, was recalled to active duty in his four-star grade to run the War Department's Personnel Board.[114]

More temporary generals were appointed to command postwar occupation forces in Germany and Japan, as well as the stateside Army commands. Omar Bradley, who had commanded the Twelfth Army Group—the bulk of American forces on the Western Front—also received a permanent promotion to general as a one-time personal honor, with full active-duty pay for life.[115] This was superseded by Bradley's promotion to general of the Army while serving as the first chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in 1950.[113] [116] By the official termination of the World War II national emergency in April 1952, the Army had eight four-star generals.[117]

Cold War

The modern grade of general was established by the Officer Personnel Act (OPA) of 1947, which authorized the president to designate positions of importance and responsibility to carry the grade ex officio, to be filled by officers with the permanent or temporary grade of major general or higher.[108] The total number of positions allowed to carry the grade was capped at 3.75 percent of the total number of general officers on active duty, which worked out initially to five generals for the Army.[108] The four-star grade caps evolved into Section 525 of Title 10 of the United States Code, which was codified in 1956.[118] The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the office of which was created in 1949, was exempted from the caps.[119]

Escalating global commitments during the Cold War created more generals, both at home and abroad; a majority were appointed under renewed national emergency authority in excess of grade caps.[108] Besides the JCS chairman and Army chief of staff, the most prestigious Army-dominated positions of the era were the NATO supreme allied commander in Europe (SACEUR);[120] the commander of multinational and U.S. forces in Korea (UNC/FECOM, later USFK); and until 1973, the commander of U.S. forces in Vietnam (USMACV). At the height of the Vietnam War in 1971, the Army had 17 four-star generals.[121]

The Defense Officer Personnel Management Act (DOPMA) of 1980 standardized four-star appointments across all services, replacing the previous service-specific mechanisms.[122] Personal four-star grades held regardless of assignment, once the norm in the post-Civil War era, were abolished under DOPMA. In 1982, Richard E. Cavazos and Roscoe Robinson Jr. became the first Hispanic and first African-American four-star generals in the Army respectively.[123] [124]

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Hodge" bar:taylor from: 1953 till: 1955 color:army bar:taylor from: 1955 till: 1955 color:fareast bar:taylor from: 1955 till: 1959 color:csa bar:taylor from: 1961 till: 1962 color:federal bar:taylor from: 1962 till: 1964 color:jcs text:"Maxwell D. Taylor" bar:bolte from: 1953 till: 1953 color:europe bar:bolte from: 1953 till: 1955 color:vcsa text:"Charles L. Bolte" bar:hoge from: 1953 till: 1955 color:europe text:"William M. Hoge" bar:dahlquist from: 1954 till: 1956 color:forscom text:"John E. Dahlquist" bar:mcauliffe from: 1955 till: 1956 color:europe text:"Anthony C. McAuliffe" bar:lemnitzer from: 1955 till: 1955 color:army bar:lemnitzer from: 1955 till: 1957 color:fareast bar:lemnitzer from: 1957 till: 1959 color:vcsa bar:lemnitzer from: 1959 till: 1960 color:csa bar:lemnitzer from: 1960 till: 1962 color:jcs bar:lemnitzer from: 1962 till: 1969 color:joint text:"Lyman L. 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1991–present

The distribution of four-star Army generals remains broadly similar to that of 1947, with a statutory chief and vice chief of staff (CSA, VCSA);[125] [126] stateside commands for readiness, materiel, and training; overseas component commands; and joint duty positions that are exempted from grade caps.[127] [128] Among the latter are the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS); the NATO supreme allied commander in Europe (SACEUR);[129] the unified combatant commanders, including the statutory Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM) and Special Operations Command (USSOCOM);[130] [131] and during the War on Terror, the wartime theater commanders in Iraq (MNF-I, later USF-I) and Afghanistan (ISAF, later RSM).

The chief of the National Guard Bureau (CNGB) joined the joint pool after being raised to four-star grade in January 2008.[132] In November of the same year, Ann E. Dunwoody became the first woman to achieve the rank of general in the Army, as well as in any armed service.[133] Similarly, in 1997, Eric Shinseki became the first Asian-American four-star general in the Army.[72] In September 2012, Frank J. Grass became the first Army National Guard officer to attain the rank of general, to relieve his Air Force predecessor as CNGB.[134]

In 2009, Congress directly specified the maximum number of four-star officers in each service, replacing the OPA- and DOPMA-era percentage cap formulas.[135] In 2021, the Army was authorized eight four-star generals for positions within the service by the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act: the CSA and VCSA; the commanding generals of Army Forces Command (FORSCOM), Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), Army Materiel Command (AMC), and Army Futures Command (AFC); and the Army component commanders in Europe/Africa (USAREUR-AF) and the Pacific (USARPAC).[136] [137]

By the end of 2020, the Army had 18 four-star generals on active duty, exceeding the 17 four-star generals it had at the height of the Vietnam War, its previous peak.[137] [138]

Legislation

The following list of Congressional legislation includes major acts of Congress pertaining to appointments to the grade of general in the United States Army.

width=165 LegislationCitationSummary
Act of March 3, 1799   
  • Authorized 1 grade of General of the Armies (intended for George Washington) [repealed in 1802 ({{USStat|2|133}})].
Act of July 25, 1866 
Act of March 1, 1869 
  • Authorized brevet ranks for distinguished conduct and public service in presence of the enemy (Tasker H. Bliss) [repealed in 1956 ({{USStat|70A|642}})].
Act of March 3, 1885 
  • Authorized rank and full pay of general on the retired list for Ulysses S. Grant.
Act of June 1, 1888 
Act of October 6, 1917 
Act of September 3, 1919 
Act of February 23, 1929 
  • Increased rank of chief of staff of the Army to general.
Act of June 21, 1930 
  • Authorized promotion on the retired list or posthumously to highest grade held during World War I, with no increase in retired pay (Tasker H. Bliss, Peyton C. March).
Act of December 14, 1944 
Act of August 7, 1947[Officer Personnel Act of 1947] 
  • Authorized president to designate, subject to Senate confirmation, Army officers to have the rank of general while assigned to positions of importance and responsibility.
  • Capped Army positions with ranks above major general at 15 percent of the total number of general officers serving on active federal military duty, of which not more than 25 percent to carry the rank of general.
Act of June 26, 1948 
  • Authorized permanent grade of general and full active-duty pay and allowances in retirement for Omar N. Bradley.
Act of September 18, 1950 
Act of October 11, 1976 
Act of December 12, 1980[Defense Officer Personnel Management Act] 
 
 
  • Authorized president to designate positions of importance and responsibility to carry the grade of general, to be assigned from officers on active duty in any grade above colonel, subject to Senate confirmation, who revert to their permanent grade at the end of their assignment unless it was terminated by
    1. assignment to another position designated to carry the same grade,
    2. up to 180 days of hospitalization, or
    3. up to 90 days prior to retirement [reduced to 60 days in 1991 ({{USStat|105|1354}})].
  • Capped, except during war or national emergency, Army officers in grades above major general at 15 percent of all general officers on active duty, of whom not more than 25 percent to serve in the grade of general.
  • Authorized three- and four-star officers to retire in the highest grade held on active duty, at the discretion of the president and subject to confirmation by the Senate, with no time-in-grade requirement [changed in 1996 to certification by secretary of defense and three-year time-in-grade requirement ({{USStat|110|292}})].
Act of January 28, 2008 
  • Increased grade of chief of the National Guard Bureau to general.
Act of October 28, 2009 
 
 
  • Capped Army officers in the grade of general at 7, exempting from caps the chief of the National Guard Bureau and up to 20 generals assigned to joint duty [joint-duty cap repealed in 2016, effective December 31, 2022 ({{USStat|130|2100}}); caps changed in 2021 to 8 Army generals and 19 joint-duty generals ({{USStat|134|3563}})].
Act of December 23, 2022 
Act of December 22, 2023 
  • Increased grade of vice chief of the National Guard Bureau to general.

See also

References

Notes

Bibliography

Books and papers

Journals and magazines

Online publications

Notes and References

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  2. News: Marquis. Christopher. Ulysses S. Grant Sharp Jr., Vietnam War Admiral, 95. C15. 2001-12-18. 2024-11-03. The New York Times.
  3. Web site: Past Commandants as of 30/7/2020 – Army War College. 2020-07-30. 2024-11-16. https://web.archive.org/web/20211005013627/https://usawc.libanswers.com/loader?fid=16267&type=1&key=0f4df1014ee064ba5270754eb4cbb3bf. 2021-10-05. dead. USAWC LibAnswers.
  4. Web site: The 1932 Pulitzer Prize in History – My Experiences in the World War, by John J. Pershing (Stokes). 2024-11-03. The Pulitzer Prizes.
  5. Web site: History American Battle Monuments Commission. 2024-11-16. American Battle Monuments Commission.
  6. News: Saxon. Wolfgang. Gen. Clark Will Retire As President of Citadel. 11. 1963-03-14. 2024-11-16. The New York Times.
  7. Web site: Letter on Assignment of General Carl Spaatz as Deputy to the Commanding General, Army Air Forces for Special Organizational Planning. 1945-12-04. 2023-03-02. Headquarters, U.S. Air Force.
  8. News: Wainwright Made President of DAV; Hero of Corregidor, Seconded by MacArthur, Unanimously Chosen at Convention. 6. 1948-08-21. 2024-11-17. The New York Times. Web site: Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright IV World War II U.S. Army. 2024-11-03. Congressional Medal of Honor Society.
  9. Web site: Weingroff. Richard. General Lucius D. Clay – The President's Man. 2024-11-12. Federal Highway Administration.
  10. https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/st-louis/rg-319/299741/Collins_Joseph_L_1_Page_404.jpg Statement of Military Service of J. Lawton Collins, O-5247
  11. Greene. Joseph I.. Report to the Members. United States Army Combat Forces Journal. 2. 4. n1. November 1951. Association of the United States Army. Internet Archive. Web site: GEN Wade Hampton Haislip. 2024-11-24. Military Hall of Honor.
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  14. News: Gruenther Retires as Head Of American Red Cross. 5. 1964-04-01. 2024-11-11. The New York Times.
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  17. Web site: Eisenhower. Dwight D.. Dwight D. Eisenhower. Memorandum for the Statutory Members of the National Security Council and the Director of Central Intelligence. 1953. Central Intelligence Agency. Web site: Dulles. Allen. Allen Dulles. Letter to General Lucian K. Truscott, Jr., USA (Ret.) from Allen W. Dulles. 1959-05-31. 2024-11-14. Office of the Director of Central Intelligence. Internet Archive.
  18. Von Plinsky III. Alexander. General Albert C. Wedemeyer's Missions in China, 1944–1947: An Attempt to Achieve the Impossible. 87. 1991-06-07. 2024-11-12. MMAS. U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Defense Technical Information Center.
  19. Rankin. Robert S.. Martial Law and the Writ of Habeas Corpus in Hawaii. The Journal of Politics. 6. 2. 213–229. May 1944. 10.2307/2125272. 2125272. 153947841. University of Chicago Press.
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  22. Symons. Arthur. Association's Journal. United States Army Combat Forces Journal. 5. 10. 4. May 1955. Association of the United States Army. Symons. Arthur. Report from your AUSA CP. United States Army Combat Forces Journal. 6. 5. 54. December 1955. Association of the United States Army.
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  25. Comment for the Combat Forces – New President. United States Army Combat Forces Journal. 2. 11. 12. June 1952. Association of the United States Army. Symons. Arthur. Association's Journal. United States Army Combat Forces Journal. 5. 10. 4. May 1955. Association of the United States Army.
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  51. News: Roberts. Sam. Sam Roberts (journalist). Gen. John Galvin, a NATO Supreme Allied Commander, Dies at 86. 2015-09-30. 2024-11-12. The New York Times.
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  54. Web site: Former AUSA President Gen. Jack N. Merritt Dies. 2018-01-05. 2024-11-10. Association of the United States Army.
  55. News: Norton. F.T.. 'One of our greatest': U.S. Special Operations Command retired Gen. James Lindsay dies at 90. 2023-08-06. 2024-11-11. The Fayetteville Observer.
  56. News: Halloran. Richard. U.S. Military Chief Is Replaced In the Central American Region. A5. 1989-07-21. 2024-11-12. The New York Times.
  57. News: Silverman. Ellie. Crosbie Saint, four-star Army general, dies at 81. 2018-05-15. 2024-11-10. The Washington Post.
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  60. Web site: Former TRADOC Commander Gen. John Foss Dies. 2020-04-27. 2024-11-16. Association of the United States Army.
  61. Web site: Former AMC Commander Gen. William Tuttle Jr. Dies. 2020-11-11. 2024-11-16. Association of the United States Army.
  62. Web site: Retired Gen. Gordon Sullivan Laid to Rest. 2024-05-10. 2024-11-23. Association of the United States Army.
  63. Web site: Stiner, Army Special Operations Legend, Dies. 2022-06-09. 2024-10-19. Association of the United States Army.
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  69. Web site: Retired Gen. William Hartzog Dies at 79. 2020-11-11. 2024-10-19. Association of the United States Army.
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  86. Web site: Brown to Succeed Ham as AUSA President and CEO. 2021-06-22. 2024-11-23. Association of the United States Army.
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  101. News: Wants The Highest Rank For Pershing. The New York Times. New York City. 1919-07-19. 5.
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  114. News: Nine More Generals Proposed. 1945-03-12. 2024-10-25. Washington, D.C.. The Salinas Californian. 74. 60. California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  115. Act of June 26, 1948 .
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  119. Act of August 10, 1949 [National Security Act Amendments of 1949] .
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  123. News: Joe . Hernandez . Fort Hood Should Be Renamed After The 1st Hispanic 4-Star General, Lawmakers Say. 2021-09-15. 2024-10-24. NPR.
  124. News: Gen. Roscoe Robinson Jr.; 1st Black at 4-Star Rank. 1993-07-24. 2024-10-24. Washington, D.C.. Los Angeles Times.
  125. – Chief of Staff.
  126. – Vice Chief of Staff. Act of October 1, 1986 [Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986] .
  127. Act of October 5, 1994 [National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1995]
  128. Web site: 10 U.S.C. § 526 – Authorized strength: general officers and flag officers on active duty. 2024-09-27. United States Code.
  129. Web site: Did you know... how many SACEURs continued their military careers in other posts after leaving SHAPE?. 2021-12-08. Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe.
  130. – Unified combatant command for cyber operations.
  131. – Unified combatant command for special operations forces.
  132. Act of January 28, 2008 [National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008] . Web site: Mike . Smith . Guard's first four-star ready to take Minutemen forward. 2008-11-18. 2024-10-26. Arlington, Virginia. National Guard Bureau.
  133. News: Robert . Burns . In salute to history, Army pins 4 stars on female general. 2008-11-14. 2024-10-26. Associated Press. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Web site: John . Snyder . Stars align at the Watervliet Arsenal. 2012-05-02. 2024-10-27. Watervliet, New York. United States Army.
  134. Web site: Jim . Greenhill . Army Gen. Frank Grass becomes 27th chief of the National Guard Bureau. 2012-09-08. 2024-10-27. Arlington, Virginia. National Guard Bureau.
  135. Act of October 28, 2009 [National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010] .
  136. Act of January 1, 2021 [William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021] .
  137. News: Military.com. The Army Now Has the Most 4-Star Generals on Duty Since World War II. Matthew . Cox. 2020-08-20. News: Defense News. US Army Europe and US Army Africa to merge as commander pins on fourth star. Jen . Judson. 2020-10-08.
  138. Book: Annex B (General/Flag Officer Strengths, 1945 to 1967). Report on General/Flag Officer Requirements. Officer Personnel Study Group, Officer Career Development Division, Directorate of Compensation and Career Development, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Manpower and Reserve Affairs). Washington, D.C.. 1968-03-01. Book: House Armed Services Committee Report No. 92-5: Subcommittee No. 2 Hearings on H.R. 6483; and Subcommittee No. 2 Hearings and Full Committee Consideration of H.R. 7500. U.S. Government Printing Office. Washington, D.C.. 1971. 2237. Google Books.

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