| General of The Salvation Army | |
|---|---|
 Rank insignia of General | |
 Standard of the Salvation Army | |
 | |
 The Salvation Army | |
| Style | General |
| Type | Chief executive officer |
| Residence | London, United Kingdom |
| Appointer | High Council, but must be under 68 years old |
| Term length | Five years, extendable up to a maximum of seven years |
| Constituting instrument | TheSalvation Army Act 1931 andSalvation Army Act 1980 via theParliament of the United Kingdom |
| Formation | 2 July 1865 |
| First holder | William Booth |
| Deputy | Chief of the Staff |
General is the title of the international leader andchief executive officer ofThe Salvation Army, aChristian denomination with extensivecharitablesocial services that gives quasi-military rank to itsministers (who are therefore known asofficers). The General is elected by theHigh Council of The Salvation Army and serves a term of five years, which may be extended to seven years. According to the organization, the General is purported to be chosen byGod, and the council identifies that person.[1] The position is roughly equivalent to the position ofArchbishop in many other Christian denominations.Lyndon Buckingham is the current General, who assumed office on 3 August 2023 upon the retirement ofBrian Peddle. The organization's founder,William Booth, was the first and longest-serving General. There have been 22 Generals as of 2023.
Usage of the title "General" within the context of The Salvation Army, began with the founder ofThe Salvation Army,William Booth. His wife,Catherine Booth, the organisation's co-founder, became known as the "Mother" ofThe Salvation Army.General Booth served as General until his death in 1912; Booth selected his son,Bramwell Booth as his successor. It was William Booth's intention to have each General dictate their successor, but theSalvation Army Act 1931 passed by theParliament of the United Kingdom requires that each General is selected by theHigh Council of The Salvation Army. Every General after Bramwell Booth has been selected by the High Council.[2] In accordance with the Salvation Army Act 1931, a General mustretire at age 68 and may serve as long as seven years.[3] The General is elected by the High Council when their predecessor retires or dies (known within the Salvation Army as beingpromoted to Glory).William Booth was the only General to die in office. The High Council is composed of theChief of the Staff, all activecommissioners, except the spouse of the incumbent General, and all territorial commanders. The High Council may also remove a General from office for violations of their "covenant to God", disability, or the inability to fulfill their duties, though this has never happened.
Theofficer of the Salvation Army who is elected General is the worldwide spiritual leader of the Salvation Army and thechief executive officer of the organization. The General has a role that is similar to thePope's role within theCatholic Church. Since The Salvation Army maintains a hierarchical, quasi-military structure, all appointments and regulations are issued under the General's authority.
Three women have been elected General of the Salvation Army:Evangeline Booth, William Booths's daughter, in 1934,Eva Burrows in 1986, andLinda Bond in 2011.
On January 31, 2011, after 10 days of meetings which began on January 21, 2011, the 17th High Council electedLinda Bond as the 19th General ofThe Salvation Army. Bond was the third woman to hold the post and the fourthCanadian. This election was handled by the largest High Council in history and was especially significant due to the number of women delegates (57) outnumbering the number of men delegates (52).[4]
On 3 August 2013 the then-Commissioner André Cox was elected by the High Council of 2013 as the 20th General of The Salvation Army.[5] The High Council of 2018 selectedBrian Peddle as Cox's successor in May 2018; he took office in August 2018.
On 26 May 2023 the High Council of 2023 electedLyndon Buckingham as Peddle's successor.
In the event of vacancy, either by death or resignation, theSalvation Army Act 1980 requires that theChief of the Staff of The Salvation Army serve as acting General if a successor had not already been elected.[6] The most recent instance of vacancy was in 2013 whenLinda Bond retired unexpectedly;Andre Cox served as acting General.
There are three retired Generals living. The most recent General to die wasPaul Rader on 18 January 2025.
The General serves as thechief executive officer (CEO) of The Salvation Army at the international level, but the organization is divided into many subunits controlled by other individuals. For instance, Commissioner Merle Heatwole, appointed by Buckingham, serves as theNational Commander of The Salvation Army of the United States.
| No. | Portrait | Name (birth–death) | Term of office | Nationality | Chief of the Staff | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||
| 1 |  | William BoothOBE (1829–1912) | 2 July 1865 | 20 August 1912 † | 47 years, 49 days |  | Bramwell Booth |
| 2 |  | Bramwell BoothCH (1856–1929) | 21 August 1912 | 13 February 1929 | 16 years, 176 days | | T. Henry Howard |
| Edward Higgins | |||||||
| 3 |  | Edward Higgins (1864–1947) | 14 February 1929 | 11 November 1934 | 5 years, 270 days | | Henry Mapp |
| 4 |  | Evangeline BoothOF (1865–1950) | 11 November 1934 | 1 November 1939 | 4 years, 355 days |  | |
| John McMillan | |||||||
| Alfred G. Cunningham | |||||||
| 5 | _George_Carpenter.jpg) | George Carpenter (1872–1948) | 1 November 1939 | 21 June 1946 | 6 years, 232 days |  | |
| Charles Baugh | |||||||
| 6 | .jpg) | Albert Orsborn (1886–1967) | 21 June 1946 | 1 July 1954 | 8 years, 10 days | | John Allan |
| Edgar Dibden | |||||||
| 7 |  | Wilfred KitchingCBE (1893–1977) | 1 July 1954 | 23 November 1963 | 9 years, 145 days | | |
| William J. Dray | |||||||
| Norman F. Duggins | |||||||
| Erik Wickberg | |||||||
| 8 |  | Frederick CouttsCBE (1899–1986) | 23 November 1963 | 21 September 1969 | 5 years, 302 days | | |
| 9 | Erik Wickberg (1904–1996) | 21 September 1969 | 6 July 1974 | 4 years, 288 days |  | Arnold Brown | |
| 10 | Clarence WisemanOC (1907–1985) | 6 July 1974 | 5 July 1977 | 2 years, 364 days |  | Arthur E. Carr | |
| 11 | Arnold BrownOC (1913–2002) | 5 July 1977 | 14 December 1981 | 4 years, 162 days | | W. Stanley Cottrill | |
| 12 |  | Jarl Wahlström (1918–1999) | 14 December 1981 | 9 July 1986 | 4 years, 207 days |  | |
| Caughey Gauntlett | |||||||
| 13 | .jpg) | Eva BurrowsAC (1929–2015) | 9 July 1986 | 9 July 1993 | 7 years, 0 days | | |
| Ron Cox | |||||||
| Bramwell Tillsley | |||||||
| 14 | Bramwell Tillsley (1931–2019) | 9 July 1993 | 18 May 1994 | 313 days | | Earle Maxwell | |
| 15 | Paul Rader (1934–2025) | 23 July 1994 | 23 July 1999 | 5 years, 0 days | | ||
| 16 |  | John Gowans (1934–2012) | 23 July 1999 | 13 November 2002 | 3 years, 113 days | | John Larsson |
| 17 | John Larsson (1938–2022) | 13 November 2002 | 2 April 2006 | 3 years, 140 days | | Israel Gaither | |
| 18 |  | Shaw Clifton (1945–2023) | 2 April 2006 | 2 April 2011 | 5 years, 0 days | | Robin Dunster |
| Barry Swanson | |||||||
| 19 |  | Linda Bond (born 1946) | 2 April 2011 | 13 June 2013 | 2 years, 72 days | | |
| Andre Cox | |||||||
| 20 |  | André Cox (born 1954) | 3 August 2013 | 3 August 2018 | 5 years, 0 days |  | William A. Roberts |
| Brian Peddle | |||||||
| 21 |  | Brian Peddle (born 1957) | 3 August 2018 | 3 August 2023 | 5 years, 0 days | | Lyndon Buckingham |
| 22 | | Lyndon Buckingham (born 1962) | 3 August 2023 | Incumbent | 2 years, 114 days |  | Edward Hill |
Below is a timeline of Salvation Army Generals' terms in office.
