The rank ofgeneral (orfull general, orfour-star general) is the highest rank normally achievable in theUnited States Army. It ranks abovelieutenant general (three-star general) and belowgeneral of the Army (five-star general).
There have been 264 four-star generals in the history of the U.S. Army. Of these, 250 achieved that rank while on active duty in the U.S. Army; eight were promoted after retirement; five were promotedposthumously; and one (George Washington) was appointed to that rank in theContinental Army, the U.S. Army's predecessor. Generals entered the Army via several paths: 165 were commissioned via theU.S. Military Academy (USMA), 55 viaReserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) at a civilian university, 16 viaOfficer Candidate School (OCS), 13 viadirect commission (direct), 11 via ROTC at asenior military college,one via ROTC at amilitary junior college,one via direct commission in theArmy National Guard (ARNG),one via theaviation cadet program, andone viabattlefield commission.
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,[a] active-duty positions held while serving at four-star rank,[b] number of years of active-duty service at four-star rank (Yrs),[c] year commissioned and source of commission,[d] number of years in commission when promoted to four-star rank (YC),[e] and other biographical notes.[f]
| # | Name | Photo | Date of rank[a] | Position[b] | Yrs[c] | Commission[d] | YC[e] | Notes[f] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| * | George Washington |  | 15 Jun 1775 |
| 8 | 1775 (direct) | 0 | (1732–1799)[g] Promoted toGeneral of the Armies, 4 Jul 1976.Chancellor, College of William & Mary, 1788–1799;[5]U.S. President, 1789–1797. AwardedCongressional Gold Medal, 1776.[6] |
| 1 | Ulysses S. Grant |  | 25 Jul 1866 |
| 3 | 1843 (USMA) | 23 | (1822–1885)[h] Promoted toGeneral of the Armies, 19 Apr 2024.U.S. President, 1869–1877. AwardedCongressional Gold Medal, 1863.[9] Married great-aunt ofNavy four-star admiralU. S. Grant Sharp Jr.[10] |
| 2 | William Tecumseh Sherman |  | 4 Mar 1869 |
| 14 | 1840 (USMA) | 29 | (1820–1891) Superintendent,Louisiana State Seminary of Learning and Military Academy, 1860–1861. Brother ofU.S. Secretary of StateJohn Sherman. |
| 3 | Philip H. Sheridan |  | 1 Jun 1888 |
| 0 | 1853 (USMA) | 35 | (1831–1888) Died in office. |
| 4 | Tasker H. Bliss |  | 6 Oct 1917 |
| 2 | 1875 (USMA) | 42 | (1853–1930)[i][j]President, U.S. Army War College, 1903–1905, 1909;[15] Governor,U.S. Soldiers' Home, 1920–1927.[12] |
| 5 | John J. Pershing |  | 6 Oct 1917 |
| 7 | 1886 (USMA) | 31 | (1860–1948)[k] Promoted toGeneral of the Armies, 3 Sep 1919. Chairman,American Battle Monuments Commission, 1923–1948; Chairman,Tacna-Arica Plebiscitary Commission, 1925–1926. AwardedPulitzer Prize for History, 1932;Congressional Gold Medal, 1946.[17][18] |
| 6 | Peyton C. March |  | 20 May 1918 |
| 2 | 1888 (USMA) | 30 | (1864–1955)[j] |
| 7 | Charles P. Summerall |  | 23 Feb 1929 |
| 1 | 1892 (USMA) | 37 | (1867–1955)[l]President, The Citadel, 1931–1953.[21] |
| 8 | Douglas MacArthur | .jpg) | 21 Nov 1930 |
| 9 | 1903 (USMA) | 27 | (1880–1964)[m] Promoted togeneral of the Army, 18 Dec 1944.Superintendent, U.S. Military Academy, 1919–1922. AwardedMedal of Honor, 1942;Congressional Gold Medal, 1962.[23] Grandson ofWisconsin GovernorArthur MacArthur Sr. |
| 9 | Malin Craig |  | 2 Oct 1935 |
| 8 | 1898 (USMA) | 37 | (1875–1945)[n]Commandant, U.S. Army War College, 1935.[15] |
| 10 | George C. Marshall Jr. |  | 1 Sep 1939 |
| 5 | 1902 (VMI)[o] | 38 | (1880–1959)[p] Promoted togeneral of the Army, 16 Dec 1944. Special Representative of the President inChina, 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. AwardedCongressional Gold Medal, 1946;Nobel Peace Prize, 1953.[27] |
| * | John L. Hines | _LCCN2016849427_(cropped).jpg) | 15 Jun 1940 |
| 0 | 1891 (USMA) | 49 | (1868–1968)[q]Chief of Staff, U.S. Army, 1924–1926.[29] |
| 11 | Dwight D. Eisenhower |  | 11 Feb 1943 |
| 1 | 1915 (USMA) | 28 | (1890–1969)[r] Promoted togeneral of the Army, 20 Dec 1944. President,Columbia University, 1948–1953;U.S. President, 1953–1961. |
| 12 | Henry H. Arnold |  | 19 Mar 1943 |
| 1 | 1907 (USMA) | 36 | (1886–1950)[s][t] Promoted togeneral of the Army, 21 Dec 1944; togeneral of the Air Force, 7 May 1949. |
| 13 | Joseph W. Stilwell |  | 1 Aug 1944 |
| 2 | 1904 (USMA) | 40 | (1883–1946) Died in office. |
| 14 | Walter Krueger |  | 5 Mar 1945 |
| 1 | 1901 (direct) | 44 | (1881–1967)[u] |
| 15 | Brehon B. Somervell |  | 6 Mar 1945 |
| 1 | 1914 (USMA) | 31 | (1892–1955)[v] |
| 16 | Joseph T. McNarney |  | 7 Mar 1945 |
| 7 | 1915 (USMA) | 30 | (1893–1972)[s] |
| 17 | Jacob L. Devers |  | 8 Mar 1945 |
| 4 | 1909 (USMA) | 36 | (1887–1979) Chairman,American Battle Monuments Commission, 1960–1969.[34] |
| 18 | George C. Kenney |  | 9 Mar 1945 |
| 6 | 1917 (cadet) | 28 | (1889–1977)[s] |
| 19 | Mark W. Clark | .jpg) | 10 Mar 1945 |
| 8 | 1917 (USMA) | 28 | (1896–1984)[w]President, The Citadel, 1954–1965;[36] Chairman,American Battle Monuments Commission, 1969–1984.[34] |
| 20 | Carl A. Spaatz |  | 11 Mar 1945 |
| 3 | 1914 (USMA) | 31 | (1891–1974)[s] |
| 21 | Omar N. Bradley |  | 12 Mar 1945 |
| 5 | 1915 (USMA) | 30 | (1893–1981)[x] Promoted togeneral of the Army, 22 Sep 1950. AwardedPresidential Medal of Freedom with distinction, 1977.[39] |
| 22 | Thomas T. Handy |  | 13 Mar 1945 |
| 9 | 1916 (VMI)[o] | 29 | (1892–1982) |
| 23 | George S. Patton Jr. |  | 14 Apr 1945 |
| 0 | 1909 (USMA) | 36 | (1885–1945) Died in office. Father-in-law of Army four-star generalJohn K. Waters. |
| 24 | Courtney H. Hodges | .jpg) | 15 Apr 1945 |
| 4 | 1909 (direct) | 36 | (1887–1966) |
| 25 | Jonathan M. Wainwright IV | .jpg) | 5 Sep 1945 |
| 1 | 1906 (USMA) | 39 | (1883–1953) National Commander,Disabled American Veterans, 1948–1949. AwardedMedal of Honor, 1945.[40] |
| 26 | Lucius D. Clay | .jpg) | 28 Mar 1947 |
| 2 | 1918 (USMA) | 29 | (1897–1978) Special Representative of the President inBerlin, 1961–1962. Son ofU.S. SenatorAlexander S. Clay; father ofAir Force four-star generalLucius D. Clay Jr.[41] |
| 27 | J. Lawton Collins |  | 24 Jan 1948 |
| 8 | 1917 (USMA) | 31 | (1896–1987) U.S. Special Representative toVietnam, 1954–1955.[42] |
| 28 | Wade H. Haislip |  | 1 Oct 1949 |
| 2 | 1912 (USMA) | 37 | (1889–1971) President,Association of the United States Army, 1950–1951; Governor,U.S. Soldiers' Home, 1951–1966.[43] |
| * | Walton H. Walker | .jpg) | 20 Dec 1950 |
| 0 | 1912 (USMA) | 38 | (1889–1950)[y] Died in office. Father of Army four-star generalSam S. Walker. |
| 29 | Matthew B. Ridgway |  | 11 May 1951 |
| 4 | 1917 (USMA) | 34 | (1895–1993) AwardedPresidential Medal of Freedom, 1986;Congressional Gold Medal, 1990.[45] |
| 30 | Walter Bedell Smith |  | 1 Jul 1951 |
| 2 | 1917 (direct) | 34 | (1895–1961)U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union, 1946–1948;U.S. Under Secretary of State, 1953–1954.[46] |
| 31 | John E. Hull | _(cropped).jpg) | 30 Jul 1951 |
| 4 | 1917 (direct) | 34 | (1895–1975) Chairman,President's Board of Consultants on Foreign Intelligence Activities, 1958–1961. |
| 32 | James A. Van Fleet |  | 31 Jul 1951 |
| 2 | 1915 (USMA) | 36 | (1892–1992)[47] Special Representative of the President in theFar East, 1954. |
| 33 | Alfred M. Gruenther |  | 1 Aug 1951 |
| 5 | 1917 (USMA) | 34 | (1899–1983) President,American Red Cross, 1957–1964.[48] |
| 34 | John R. Hodge |  | 5 Jul 1952 |
| 1 | 1917 (direct) | 35 | (1893–1963) |
| 35 | Maxwell D. Taylor |  | 23 Jun 1953 |
| 9 | 1922 (USMA) | 31 | (1901–1987)[49][z]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.[51] |
| 36 | Charles L. Bolte |  | 30 Jul 1953 |
| 2 | 1917 (direct) | 36 | (1895–1989) |
| 37 | William M. Hoge |  | 23 Oct 1953 |
| 2 | 1916 (USMA) | 37 | (1894–1979) |
| * | Robert L. Eichelberger | .jpg) | 19 Jul 1954 |
| 0 | 1909 (USMA) | 45 | (1886–1961)[aa]Superintendent, U.S. Military Academy, 1940–1942.[53] |
| * | Lucian K. Truscott Jr. | .jpg) | 19 Jul 1954 |
| 0 | 1917 (direct) | 37 | (1895–1965)[aa] Deputy Director for Coordination,Central Intelligence Agency, 1953–1959.[54] |
| * | Leonard T. Gerow |  | 19 Jul 1954 |
| 0 | 1911 (VMI)[o] | 43 | (1888–1972)[aa] |
| * | William H. Simpson |  | 19 Jul 1954 |
| 0 | 1909 (USMA) | 45 | (1888–1980)[aa] |
| * | Ben Lear |  | 19 Jul 1954 |
| 0 | 1901 (direct) | 53 | (1879–1966)[aa] |
| * | Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr. |  | 19 Jul 1954 |
| 0 | 1908 (USMA) | 46 | (1886–1945)[aa] Killed in action. Son ofKentucky GovernorSimon Bolivar Buckner Sr. |
| * | Alexander M. Patch |  | 19 Jul 1954 |
| 0 | 1913 (USMA) | 41 | (1889–1945)[aa] Died in office. |
| * | Lesley J. McNair |  | 19 Jul 1954 |
| 0 | 1904 (USMA) | 50 | (1883–1944)[aa] Killed in action. |
| * | John L. DeWitt |  | 19 Jul 1954 |
| 0 | 1898 (direct) | 56 | (1880–1962)[aa]Commandant, U.S. Army War College, 1937–1939.[15] |
| * | Albert C. Wedemeyer |  | 19 Jul 1954 |
| 0 | 1918 (USMA) | 36 | (1897–1989)[aa] Special Representative of the President inChina andKorea, 1947. AwardedPresidential Medal of Freedom, 1985.[55][56] |
| * | Robert C. Richardson Jr. |  | 19 Jul 1954 |
| 0 | 1904 (USMA) | 50 | (1882–1954)[aa]Military Governor of Hawaii, 1943–1944.[57] |
| 38 | John E. Dahlquist |  | 18 Aug 1954 |
| 2 | 1917 (direct) | 37 | (1896–1975) |
| 39 | Anthony C. McAuliffe |  | 1 Mar 1955 |
| 1 | 1918 (USMA) | 37 | (1898–1975) Chairman,New York State Civil Defense Commission, 1960–1963. |
| 40 | Lyman L. Lemnitzer | .jpg) | 25 Mar 1955 |
| 14 | 1920 (USMA) | 35 | (1899–1988)[59][ab] President,Association of the United States Army, 1955.[62] AwardedPresidential Medal of Freedom, 1987.[63] |
| 41 | Williston B. Palmer |  | 1 May 1955 |
| 7 | 1919 (USMA) | 36 | (1899–1973)[64][ac] Brother of Army four-star generalCharles D. Palmer. |
| 42 | Isaac D. White |  | 22 Jun 1955 |
| 6 | 1922 (Norwich) | 33 | (1901–1990) |
| 43 | Willard G. Wyman | .jpg) | 1 Mar 1956 |
| 2 | 1919 (USMA) | 37 | (1898–1969) |
| 44 | Cortlandt V. R. Schuyler |  | 18 May 1956 |
| 3 | 1922 (USMA) | 34 | (1900–1993)[66] Commissioner,New York State Office of General Services, 1960–1971. |
| 45 | George H. Decker | .jpg) | 31 May 1956 |
| 6 | 1924 (ROTC) | 32 | (1902–1980) President,Association of the United States Army, 1952–1955.[67] |
| 46 | Henry I. Hodes |  | 1 Jun 1956 |
| 3 | 1920 (USMA) | 36 | (1899–1962) |
| 47 | Bruce C. Clarke |  | 1 Aug 1958 |
| 4 | 1925 (USMA) | 33 | (1901–1988) |
| 48 | Clyde D. Eddleman |  | 1 Apr 1959 |
| 3 | 1924 (USMA) | 35 | (1902–1992)Commandant, U.S. Army War College, 1955.[15] |
| 49 | Carter B. Magruder |  | 1 Jul 1959 |
| 2 | 1923 (USMA) | 36 | (1900–1988) |
| 50 | Charles D. Palmer |  | 1 Oct 1959 |
| 3 | 1924 (USMA) | 35 | (1902–1999) Brother of Army four-star generalWilliston B. Palmer. |
| 51 | Clark L. Ruffner |  | 1 Mar 1960 |
| 2 | 1924 (VMI) | 36 | (1903–1982) |
| 52 | James E. Moore | .jpg) | 21 Apr 1960 |
| 3 | 1924 (USMA) | 36 | (1902–1986)Commandant, U.S. Army War College, 1953–1955;[15] U.S. High Commissioner,Ryukyu Islands, 1955–1958. |
| 53 | Herbert B. Powell |  | 1 Oct 1960 |
| 3 | 1926 (ROTC) | 34 | (1903–1998)[68]U.S. Ambassador to New Zealand andSamoa, 1963–1967. |
| 54 | James F. Collins |  | 1 Apr 1961 |
| 3 | 1927 (USMA) | 34 | (1905–1989) President,American Red Cross, 1964–1970.[69] |
| 55 | Guy S. Meloy Jr. |  | 1 Jul 1961 |
| 2 | 1927 (USMA) | 34 | (1903–1964) |
| 56 | Paul D. Adams |  | 3 Oct 1961 |
| 5 | 1928 (USMA) | 33 | (1906–1987) |
| 57 | Paul D. Harkins |  | 2 Jan 1962 |
| 2 | 1929 (USMA) | 33 | (1904–1984) Relieved, 1964.[70] |
| 58 | Earle G. Wheeler |  | 1 Mar 1962 |
| 8 | 1932 (USMA) | 30 | (1908–1975) Widow married Army four-star generalFrank S. Besson Jr. |
| 59 | Barksdale Hamlett |  | 2 Apr 1962 |
| 2 | 1930 (USMA) | 32 | (1908–1979)[71] President,Norwich University, 1966–1972. |
| 60 | Paul L. Freeman Jr. | .jpg) | 1 May 1962 |
| 5 | 1929 (USMA) | 33 | (1907–1988) |
| 61 | Robert J. Wood |  | 1 Sep 1962 |
| 4 | 1930 (USMA) | 32 | (1905–1986)[ad] |
| 62 | John K. Waters |  | 28 Feb 1963 |
| 3 | 1931 (USMA) | 32 | (1906–1989)[73] Son-in-law of Army four-star generalGeorge S. Patton. |
| 63 | Andrew P. O'Meara |  | 6 Jun 1963 |
| 4 | 1930 (USMA) | 33 | (1907–2005) |
| 64 | Theodore W. Parker | .jpg) | 1 Jul 1963 |
| 6 | 1931 (USMA) | 32 | (1909–1994) Commissioner,New York State Department of Transportation, 1969–1972.[74] |
| 65 | Hamilton H. Howze |  | 1 Aug 1963 |
| 2 | 1930 (USMA) | 33 | (1908–1998) |
| 66 | Hugh P. Harris | .jpg) | 1 Mar 1964 |
| 1 | 1931 (USMA) | 33 | (1909–1979)President, The Citadel, 1965–1970. |
| 67 | Frank S. Besson Jr. |  | 27 May 1964 |
| 6 | 1932 (USMA) | 32 | (1910–1985)[75][ae] Incorporator,National Rail Passenger Corporation, 1970–1971; Member, Board of Directors,Amtrak, 1971–1977.[76] Married widow of Army four-star generalEarle G. Wheeler. |
| 68 | Harold K. Johnson |  | 3 Jul 1964 |
| 4 | 1933 (USMA) | 31 | (1912–1983) |
| 69 | William C. Westmoreland |  | 1 Aug 1964 |
| 8 | 1936 (USMA) | 28 | (1914–2005)[77]Superintendent, U.S. Military Academy, 1960–1963; candidate forRepublican Party nomination for Governor of South Carolina, 1974. |
| 70 | Creighton W. Abrams Jr. |  | 4 Sep 1964 |
| 10 | 1936 (USMA) | 28 | (1914–1974)[78] Died in office. Father of Army four-star generalsJohn N. Abrams andRobert B. Abrams. |
| 71 | Robert W. Porter Jr. |  | 18 Mar 1965 |
| 4 | 1930 (USMA) | 35 | (1908–2000) |
| 72 | Dwight E. Beach |  | 1 Jul 1965 |
| 3 | 1932 (USMA) | 33 | (1908–2000) |
| 73 | Charles H. Bonesteel III |  | 1 Sep 1966 |
| 3 | 1931 (USMA) | 35 | (1909–1977) |
| 74 | Theodore J. Conway | .jpg) | 1 Nov 1966 |
| 3 | 1933 (USMA) | 33 | (1909–1990) |
| 75 | James H. Polk |  | 31 May 1967 |
| 4 | 1933 (USMA) | 34 | (1911–1992) Distant cousin ofU.S. PresidentJames K. Polk. |
| 76 | Ralph E. Haines Jr. |  | 1 Jun 1967 |
| 6 | 1935 (USMA) | 32 | (1913–2011) |
| 77 | James K. Woolnough |  | 1 Jul 1967 |
| 3 | 1932 (USMA) | 35 | (1910–1996) |
| 78 | Andrew J. Goodpaster |  | 3 Jul 1968 |
| 6 | 1939 (USMA) | 29 | (1915–2005)[79][af]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. AwardedPresidential Medal of Freedom, 1984.[80] |
| 79 | Ben Harrell |  | 4 Jul 1968 |
| 3 | 1933 (USMA) | 35 | (1911–1981) |
| 80 | Berton E. Spivy Jr. |  | 31 Jul 1968 |
| 3 | 1934 (USMA) | 34 | (1911–1997) |
| 81 | Bruce Palmer Jr. |  | 1 Aug 1968 |
| 6 | 1936 (USMA) | 32 | (1913–2000) |
| 82 | George R. Mather |  | 1 Mar 1969 |
| 2 | 1932 (USMA) | 37 | (1911–1993) |
| 83 | Ferdinand J. Chesarek |  | 10 Mar 1969 |
| 1 | 1938 (USMA) | 31 | (1914–1993) |
| 84 | William B. Rosson |  | 15 May 1969 |
| 6 | 1940 (ROTC) | 29 | (1918–2004) |
| 85 | John L. Throckmorton |  | 1 Aug 1969 |
| 4 | 1935 (USMA) | 34 | (1913–1986) |
| 86 | John H. Michaelis | .jpg) | 1 Oct 1969 |
| 3 | 1936 (USMA) | 33 | (1912–1985) |
| 87 | Lewis B. Hershey |  | 23 Dec 1969 |
| 4 | 1913 (ARNG) | 56 | (1893–1977)[ag] Relieved, 1973. Director,Selective Service System, 1941–1970.[82] |
| 88 | Frederick C. Weyand |  | 31 Oct 1970 |
| 6 | 1938 (ROTC) | 32 | (1916–2010) |
| 89 | Henry A. Miley Jr. |  | 1 Nov 1970 |
| 5 | 1940 (USMA) | 30 | (1915–2010) |
| 90 | Frank T. Mildren |  | 1 Apr 1971 |
| 2 | 1939 (USMA) | 32 | (1913–1990) |
| 91 | Michael S. Davison |  | 26 May 1971 |
| 4 | 1939 (USMA) | 32 | (1917–2006) Aunt marriedNavy four-star admiralArthur W. Radford. |
| 92 | George V. Underwood Jr. |  | 1 Oct 1971 |
| 2 | 1937 (USMA) | 34 | (1913–1984) |
| 93 | Donald V. Bennett |  | 1 Sep 1972 |
| 2 | 1940 (USMA) | 32 | (1915–2005)Superintendent, U.S. Military Academy, 1966–1969;Director, Defense Intelligence Agency, 1969–1972. |
| 94 | Alexander M. Haig Jr. |  | 4 Jan 1973[83] |
| 5 | 1947 (USMA) | 26 | (1924–2010)[84][ah]Deputy National Security Advisor, 1970–1973;U.S. Secretary of State, 1981–1982; candidate forRepublican Party nomination for U.S. President, 1988. |
| 95 | Walter T. Kerwin Jr. |  | 1 Feb 1973 |
| 5 | 1939 (USMA) | 34 | (1917–2008) Married widow ofMarine Corps four-star generalKeith B. McCutcheon. |
| 96 | William E. DePuy | .jpg) | 1 Jul 1973 |
| 4 | 1941 (ROTC) | 32 | (1919–1992) |
| 97 | Richard G. Stilwell |  | 31 Jul 1973 |
| 3 | 1938 (USMA) | 35 | (1917–1991)U.S. Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, 1981–1985. |
| 98 | Melvin Zais |  | 1 Aug 1973 |
| 3 | 1937 (ROTC) | 36 | (1916–1981) |
| 99 | Bernard W. Rogers |  | 7 Nov 1974 |
| 13 | 1943 (USMA) | 31 | (1921–2008)[85] |
| 101 | John J. Hennessey |  | 8 Nov 1974 |
| 5 | 1944 (USMA) | 30 | (1921–2001) |
| 101 | John R. Deane Jr. |  | 12 Feb 1975 |
| 2 | 1942 (USMA) | 33 | (1919–2013) |
| 102 | George S. Blanchard | .jpg) | 1 Jul 1975 |
| 4 | 1944 (USMA) | 31 | (1920–2006) |
| 103 | William A. Knowlton |  | 1 Jun 1976 |
| 4 | 1943 (USMA) | 33 | (1920–2008)[86]Superintendent, U.S. Military Academy, 1970–1974. Father-in-law of Army four-star generalDavid H. Petraeus. |
| 104 | Frederick J. Kroesen Jr. |  | 1 Oct 1976 |
| 7 | 1943 (OCS) | 33 | (1923–2020)[87] |
| 105 | John W. Vessey Jr. |  | 1 Nov 1976 |
| 9 | 1944 (battlefield) | 32 | (1922–2016)[88] Special Presidential Emissary toVietnam forPOW/MIA Affairs, 1987–1997. AwardedPresidential Medal of Freedom, 1992.[89] |
| 106 | John R. Guthrie |  | 1 May 1977 |
| 4 | 1942 (ROTC) | 35 | (1921–2009) |
| 107 | Sam S. Walker |  | Jul 1977 |
| 1 | 1946 (USMA) | 31 | (1925–2015)[90] Superintendent,Virginia Military Institute, 1981–1988. Son of Army four-star generalWalton H. Walker. |
| 108 | Donn A. Starry |  | 1 Jul 1977 |
| 6 | 1948 (USMA) | 29 | (1925–2011) |
| 109 | Robert M. Shoemaker |  | 22 Aug 1978 |
| 4 | 1946 (USMA) | 32 | (1924–2017) |
| 110 | Edward C. Meyer |  | 22 Jun 1979 |
| 4 | 1951 (USMA) | 28 | (1928–2020)[91] |
| 111 | John A. Wickham Jr. |  | 10 Jul 1979 |
| 8 | 1950 (USMA) | 29 | (1928–2024)[92] |
| 112 | Volney F. Warner |  | 1 Aug 1979 |
| 2 | 1950 (USMA) | 29 | (1926–2019)[93] |
| 113 | Glenn K. Otis |  | 1 Aug 1981 |
| 7 | 1953 (USMA) | 28 | (1929–2013) |
| 114 | Donald R. Keith |  | 1 Sep 1981 |
| 3 | 1949 (USMA) | 32 | (1927–2004) |
| 115 | Richard E. Cavazos |  | 19 Feb 1982 |
| 2 | 1951 (ROTC) | 31 | (1929–2017) AwardedMedal of Honor posthumously, 2025.[94] Brother ofU.S. Secretary of EducationLauro Cavazos. FirstHispanic to achieve the rank of general in the Army.[95] |
| 116 | Robert W. Sennewald |  | 24 May 1982 |
| 4 | 1951 (ROTC) | 31 | (1929–2023) |
| 117 | Roscoe Robinson Jr. |  | 30 Aug 1982 |
| 3 | 1951 (USMA) | 31 | (1928–1993) FirstAfrican-American to achieve the rank of general in the Army. |
| 118 | William R. Richardson |  | 28 Feb 1983 |
| 3 | 1951 (USMA) | 32 | (1929–2023) |
| 119 | Paul F. Gorman |  | 25 May 1983 |
| 2 | 1950 (USMA) | 33 | (1927–2026)[96] |
| 120 | Wallace H. Nutting |  | 25 May 1983 |
| 2 | 1950 (USMA) | 33 | (1928–2023)[97] |
| 121 | Maxwell R. Thurman |  | 23 Jun 1983 |
| 7 | 1953 (ROTC) | 30 | (1931–1995)[98] |
| 122 | William J. Livsey |  | 3 May 1984 |
| 3 | 1952 (ROTC) | 32 | (1931–2016) |
| 123 | Richard H. Thompson |  | 29 Jun 1984 |
| 3 | 1950 (direct) | 34 | (1926–2016) |
| 124 | Robert C. Kingston |  | 6 Nov 1984 |
| 1 | 1949 (OCS) | 35 | (1928–2007) |
| 125 | John R. Galvin |  | 25 Feb 1985 |
| 7 | 1954 (USMA) | 31 | (1929–2015)[99] U.S. Special Representative toBosnia and Herzegovina, 1994.[100] |
| 126 | Fred K. Mahaffey |  | 17 Jun 1985 |
| 1 | 1955 (ROTC) | 30 | (1934–1986)[101] Died in office. |
| 127 | Jack N. Merritt |  | 1 Dec 1985 |
| 2 | 1953 (OCS) | 32 | (1930–2018)[102]Commandant, U.S. Army War College, 1980–1982;[15] President,Association of the United States Army, 1988–1998. |
| 128 | Carl E. Vuono | _(Official_U.S._Army_photograph)_(Released)_(PC-191796).jpg) | 1 Jul 1986 |
| 5 | 1957 (USMA) | 29 | (1934– ) |
| 129 | Joseph T. Palastra Jr. |  | 1 Jul 1986 |
| 3 | 1954 (USMA) | 32 | (1931–2015) |
| 130 | James J. Lindsay |  | 10 Oct 1986 |
| 4 | 1953 (OCS) | 33 | (1932–2023)[103] |
| 131 | Louis C. Wagner Jr. |  | 13 Apr 1987 |
| 2 | 1954 (USMA) | 33 | (1932–2025)[104] |
| 132 | Frederick F. Woerner Jr. |  | 6 Jun 1987 |
| 2 | 1955 (USMA) | 32 | (1933–2023) Relieved, 1989.[105] Chairman,American Battle Monuments Commission, 1994–2001.[34] |
| 133 | Arthur E. Brown Jr. |  | 24 Jun 1987 |
| 2 | 1953 (USMA) | 34 | (1929– ) |
| 134 | Louis C. Menetrey | .jpg) | 24 Jun 1987 |
| 3 | 1953 (ROTC) | 34 | (1929–2009) |
| 135 | Crosbie E. Saint |  | 24 Jun 1988 |
| 4 | 1958 (USMA) | 30 | (1936–2018)[106] |
| 136 | H. Norman Schwarzkopf Jr. |  | 23 Nov 1988 |
| 3 | 1956 (USMA) | 32 | (1934–2012)[107] AwardedPresidential Medal of Freedom, 1991;Congressional Gold Medal, 1991.[108] |
| 137 | Robert W. RisCassi |  | 17 Jan 1989 |
| 4 | 1958 (ROTC) | 31 | (1936– ) |
| 138 | Colin L. Powell |  | 4 Apr 1989 |
| 4 | 1958 (ROTC) | 31 | (1937–2021)[109]Deputy National Security Advisor, 1987;National Security Advisor, 1987–1989;U.S. Secretary of State, 2001–2005. AwardedCongressional Gold Medal, 1991;Presidential Medal of Freedom, 1991 and, with distinction, 1993.[110] |
| 139 | John W. Foss |  | 2 Aug 1989 |
| 2 | 1956 (USMA) | 33 | (1933–2020)[111] |
| 140 | Edwin H. Burba Jr. |  | 27 Sep 1989 |
| 4 | 1959 (USMA) | 30 | (1936– ) |
| 141 | William G. T. Tuttle Jr. |  | 1 Oct 1989 |
| 3 | 1958 (USMA) | 31 | (1935–2020)[112] |
| 142 | Gordon R. Sullivan |  | 4 Jun 1990 |
| 5 | 1959 (Norwich) | 31 | (1937–2024)[113] President,Association of the United States Army, 1998–2016. |
| 143 | Carl W. Stiner |  | 1 Jul 1990 |
| 3 | 1958 (ROTC) | 32 | (1936–2022)[114] |
| 144 | George A. Joulwan |  | 21 Nov 1990 |
| 7 | 1961 (USMA) | 29 | (1939– ) |
| 145 | Dennis J. Reimer |  | 21 Jun 1991 |
| 8 | 1962 (USMA) | 29 | (1939– ) |
| 146 | Frederick M. Franks Jr. |  | 23 Aug 1991 |
| 3 | 1959 (USMA) | 32 | (1936– ) Chairman,American Battle Monuments Commission, 2005–2009.[34] |
| 147 | Jimmy D. Ross |  | 1 Feb 1992 |
| 2 | 1958 (ROTC) | 34 | (1936–2012) |
| 148 | John M. D. Shalikashvili |  | 24 Jun 1992 |
| 5 | 1959 (OCS) | 33 | (1936–2011)[115] AwardedPresidential Medal of Freedom, 1997.[116] |
| 149 | David M. Maddox |  | 9 Jul 1992 |
| 2 | 1960 (VMI) | 32 | (1938–2026)[117] |
| 150 | J. H. Binford Peay III |  | 26 Mar 1993 |
| 4 | 1962 (VMI) | 31 | (1940– ) Superintendent,Virginia Military Institute, 2003–2020.[118] |
| 151 | Wayne A. Downing |  | 20 May 1993 |
| 3 | 1962 (USMA) | 31 | (1940–2007)Deputy National Security Advisor for Combating Terrorism, 2001–2002.[119] |
| 152 | Gary E. Luck | .jpg) | 1 Jul 1993 |
| 3 | 1960 (ROTC) | 33 | (1937–2024)[120] |
| 153 | Leon E. Salomon |  | 11 Feb 1994 |
| 2 | 1959 (OCS) | 35 | (1936– ) |
| 154 | Barry R. McCaffrey |  | 17 Feb 1994 |
| 2 | 1964 (USMA) | 30 | (1942– ) Director,National Drug Control Policy, 1996–2001.[121] |
| 155 | John H. Tilelli Jr. | .jpg) | 19 Jul 1994 |
| 5 | 1963 (PMC)[ai] | 31 | (1941– ) President,United Service Organizations, 2000–2002. |
| 156 | William W. Hartzog |  | 1 Dec 1994 |
| 4 | 1963 (Citadel) | 31 | (1941–2020)[122] |
| 157 | William W. Crouch |  | 1 Jan 1995 |
| 3 | 1963 (ROTC) | 32 | (1941–2024)[123] |
| 158 | Ronald H. Griffith |  | 6 Jun 1995 |
| 2 | 1960 (ROTC) | 35 | (1936–2018)[124] |
| 159 | H. Hugh Shelton |  | 1 Mar 1996 |
| 5 | 1964 (ROTC) | 32 | (1942– ) AwardedCongressional Gold Medal, 2002.[125] |
| 160 | Johnnie E. Wilson |  | 1 May 1996 |
| 3 | 1967 (OCS) | 29 | (1944– ) |
| 161 | Wesley K. Clark |  | 21 Jun 1996 |
| 4 | 1966 (USMA) | 30 | (1944– ) Candidate forDemocratic Party nomination for U.S. President, 2004.[126] AwardedPresidential Medal of Freedom, 2000.[127] |
| 162 | David A. Bramlett |  | 1 Sep 1996 |
| 2 | 1964 (USMA) | 32 | (1941– ) |
| 163 | Eric K. Shinseki |  | 5 Aug 1997 |
| 6 | 1965 (USMA) | 32 | (1942– )U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs, 2009–2014. FirstAsian-American to achieve four-star rank in any service.[128] |
| 164 | Peter J. Schoomaker |  | 4 Oct 1997 |
| 7 | 1969 (ROTC) | 28 | (1946– )[aj] |
| 165 | Thomas A. Schwartz | .jpg) | 31 Aug 1998 |
| 4 | 1967 (USMA) | 31 | (1945– ) |
| 166 | John N. Abrams | .JPG) | 14 Sep 1998 |
| 4 | 1968 (OCS) | 30 | (1946–2018)[129] Son of Army four-star generalCreighton W. Abrams Jr.; brother of Army four-star generalRobert B. Abrams. |
| 167 | Montgomery C. Meigs |  | 10 Nov 1998 |
| 4 | 1967 (USMA) | 31 | (1945–2021)[130] Director,Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization, 2005–2007. Distant cousin ofNavy four-star admiralMontgomery M. Taylor. |
| 168 | John M. Keane |  | 22 Jan 1999 |
| 4 | 1966 (ROTC) | 33 | (1943– ) AwardedPresidential Medal of Freedom, 2020.[131] |
| 169 | John G. Coburn |  | 14 May 1999 |
| 2 | 1963 (ROTC) | 36 | (1941– ) |
| 170 | John W. Hendrix |  | 23 Nov 1999 |
| 2 | 1965 (ROTC) | 34 | (1942– ) |
| 171 | William F. Kernan |  | Jul 2000 |
| 2 | 1968 (OCS) | 32 | (1946–2025)[132] |
| 172 | Tommy R. Franks |  | 6 Jul 2000 |
| 3 | 1967 (OCS) | 33 | (1945– ) AwardedPresidential Medal of Freedom, 2004.[133] |
| 173 | Paul J. Kern |  | 30 Oct 2001 |
| 3 | 1967 (USMA) | 34 | (1945– ) |
| 174 | Larry R. Ellis |  | 19 Nov 2001 |
| 3 | 1969 (ROTC) | 32 | (1946– ) |
| 175 | Leon J. LaPorte | .jpg) | 1 May 2002 |
| 4 | 1968 (ROTC) | 34 | (1946– ) |
| 176 | James T. Hill |  | 18 Aug 2002 |
| 2 | 1968 (ROTC) | 34 | (1946– ) |
| 177 | Kevin P. Byrnes |  | 7 Nov 2002 |
| 3 | 1969 (OCS) | 33 | (1950– )[ak] Relieved, 2005. |
| 178 | Burwell B. Bell III |  | 3 Dec 2002 |
| 6 | 1969 (ROTC) | 33 | (1947– ) |
| 179 | John P. Abizaid |  | 27 Jun 2003 |
| 4 | 1973 (USMA) | 30 | (1951– )U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, 2019–2021.[135] |
| 180 | Bryan D. Brown |  | 25 Aug 2003 |
| 4 | 1970 (OCS) | 33 | (1948– ) Firstarmy aviator to achieve the rank of general.[136] |
| 181 | George W. Casey Jr. |  | 1 Dec 2003 |
| 8 | 1970 (ROTC) | 33 | (1948– ) |
| 182 | Richard A. Cody |  | 24 Jun 2004 |
| 4 | 1972 (USMA) | 32 | (1950– ) |
| 183 | Dan K. McNeill |  | 1 Jul 2004 |
| 4 | 1968 (ROTC) | 36 | (1946– ) |
| 184 | Benjamin S. Griffin |  | 5 Nov 2004 |
| 4 | 1970 (OCS) | 34 | (1946– ) |
| 185 | Bantz J. Craddock |  | 1 Jan 2005 |
| 4 | 1971 (ROTC) | 33 | (1949– ) |
| 186 | William S. Wallace |  | 13 Oct 2005 |
| 3 | 1969 (USMA) | 36 | (1946– ) |
| 187 | David D. McKiernan |  | 14 Dec 2005 |
| 4 | 1972 (ROTC) | 33 | (1950– ) Resigned, 2009.[137] |
| 188 | William E. Ward |  | 3 May 2006 |
| 5 | 1971 (ROTC) | 35 | (1949– )[al] U.S. Security Coordinator,Israel-Palestinian Authority, 2005.[139] |
| 189 | Charles C. Campbell |  | 9 Jan 2007 |
| 3 | 1970 (ROTC) | 37 | (1948–2016)[140] |
| 190 | David H. Petraeus |  | 10 Feb 2007 |
| 4 | 1974 (USMA) | 33 | (1952– )Director, Central Intelligence Agency, 2011–2012. Son-in-law of Army four-star generalWilliam A. Knowlton.[141] |
| 191 | Walter L. Sharp |  | 2 Jun 2008 |
| 3 | 1974 (USMA) | 34 | (1952– ) |
| 192 | Peter W. Chiarelli |  | 4 Aug 2008 |
| 4 | 1972 (ROTC) | 36 | (1950– ) |
| 193 | Carter F. Ham |  | 28 Aug 2008 |
| 5 | 1976 (ROTC) | 32 | (1952– ) Chairman,National Commission on the Future of the Army, 2015–2016; President,Association of the United States Army, 2016–2021.[142] |
| 194 | Raymond T. Odierno |  | 16 Sep 2008 |
| 7 | 1976 (USMA) | 32 | (1954–2021)[143][am] |
| 195 | Ann E. Dunwoody |  | 14 Nov 2008 |
| 4 | 1975 (direct) | 33 | (1953– ) First woman to achieve four-star rank in any service. |
| 196 | Martin E. Dempsey |  | 8 Dec 2008 |
| 7 | 1974 (USMA) | 34 | (1952– ) |
| 197 | Stanley A. McChrystal |  | 15 Jun 2009 |
| 1 | 1976 (USMA) | 33 | (1954– ) Resigned, 2010.[145] |
| 198 | Keith B. Alexander |  | 21 May 2010 |
| 4 | 1974 (USMA) | 36 | (1952– )Director, National Security Agency, 2005–2014. |
| 199 | James D. Thurman |  | 3 Jun 2010 |
| 3 | 1975 (ROTC) | 35 | (1953– ) |
| 200 | Lloyd J. Austin III |  | 1 Sep 2010 |
| 6 | 1975 (USMA) | 35 | (1953– )U.S. Secretary of Defense, 2021–2025.[146] |
| 201 | Robert W. Cone |  | 29 Apr 2011 |
| 3 | 1979 (USMA) | 32 | (1957–2016)[147] |
| 202 | Charles H. Jacoby Jr. |  | 3 Aug 2011 |
| 3 | 1978 (USMA) | 33 | (1954– ) |
| 203 | David M. Rodriguez |  | 12 Sep 2011 |
| 5 | 1976 (USMA) | 35 | (1954– ) |
| 204 | Dennis L. Via |  | 7 Aug 2012 |
| 4 | 1980 (ROTC) | 32 | (1958– ) |
| 205 | Frank J. Grass |  | 7 Sep 2012 |
| 4 | 1981 (OCS) | 31 | (1951– ) Served 12 years in the enlisted ranks before receiving his commission in 1981. FirstArmy National Guard officer to achieve the rank of general. |
| 206 | John F. Campbell |  | 8 Mar 2013 |
| 3 | 1979 (USMA) | 34 | (1957– ) |
| 207 | Daniel B. Allyn |  | 10 May 2013 |
| 4 | 1981 (USMA) | 32 | (1959– ) |
| 208 | Vincent K. Brooks |  | 2 Jul 2013 |
| 5 | 1980 (USMA) | 33 | (1958– ) |
| 209 | Curtis M. Scaparrotti |  | 2 Oct 2013 |
| 6 | 1978 (USMA) | 35 | (1956– ) |
| 210 | David G. Perkins | .jpg) | 14 Mar 2014 |
| 4 | 1980 (USMA) | 34 | (1957– ) |
| 211 | Mark A. Milley |  | 15 Aug 2014 |
| 9 | 1980 (ROTC) | 34 | (1958– ) |
| 212 | Joseph L. Votel | .jpg) | 28 Aug 2014 |
| 5 | 1980 (USMA) | 34 | (1958– ) |
| 213 | Robert B. Abrams |  | 10 Aug 2015 |
| 6 | 1982 (USMA) | 33 | (1960– ) Son of Army four-star generalCreighton W. Abrams Jr.; brother of Army four-star generalJohn N. Abrams.[129] |
| 214 | John W. Nicholson Jr. | .jpg) | 2 Mar 2016 |
| 2 | 1982 (USMA) | 34 | (1957– ) Nephew ofU.S. Secretary of Veterans AffairsRobert J. Nicholson. |
| 215 | Raymond A. Thomas III | .jpg) | 30 Mar 2016 |
| 3 | 1980 (USMA) | 36 | (1958– ) |
| 216 | Robert B. Brown |  | 30 Apr 2016 |
| 3 | 1981 (USMA) | 35 | (1959– ) President,Association of the United States Army, 2021–present.[148] |
| 217 | Gustave F. Perna |  | 30 Sep 2016 |
| 5 | 1981 (VFMAC) | 35 | (1960– ) |
| 218 | James C. McConville | .jpg) | 16 Jun 2017 |
| 6 | 1981 (USMA) | 36 | (1959– ) |
| 219 | Stephen J. Townsend |  | 2 Mar 2018 |
| 4 | 1982 (NGCSU) | 36 | (1959– ) |
| 220 | Paul M. Nakasone | .jpg) | 4 May 2018 |
| 6 | 1986 (ROTC) | 32 | (1963– ) |
| 221 | Stephen R. Lyons |  | 24 Aug 2018 |
| 3 | 1983 (ROTC) | 35 | (c. 1962– ) |
| 222 | John M. Murray |  | 24 Aug 2018 |
| 3 | 1982 (ROTC) | 36 | (c. 1960– ) |
| 223 | Austin S. Miller |  | 2 Sep 2018 |
| 3 | 1983 (USMA) | 35 | (1961– ) |
| 224 | Michael X. Garrett | .jpg) | 21 Mar 2019 |
| 3 | 1984 (ROTC) | 35 | (1961– ) Chairman,American Battle Monuments Commission, 2023–present.[149] |
| 225 | Richard D. Clarke Jr. | .jpg) | 29 Mar 2019 |
| 3 | 1984 (USMA) | 35 | (1962– ) |
| 226 | Paul E. Funk II |  | 21 Jun 2019 |
| 3 | 1984 (ROTC) | 35 | (1962– ) |
| 227 | Joseph M. Martin | .jpg) | 26 Jul 2019 |
| 3 | 1986 (USMA) | 33 | (1962– ) |
| 228 | Paul J. LaCamera |  | 18 Nov 2019 |
| 5 | 1985 (USMA) | 34 | (1963– ) |
| 229 | Edward M. Daly |  | 2 Jul 2020 |
| 3 | 1987 (USMA) | 33 | (1965– ) |
| 230 | Daniel R. Hokanson |  | 3 Aug 2020 |
| 4 | 1986 (USMA) | 34 | (1963– ) |
| 231 | James H. Dickinson | .jpg) | 20 Aug 2020 |
| 4 | 1985 (ROTC) | 35 | (c. 1962– ) |
| 232 | Christopher G. Cavoli | .jpg) | 1 Oct 2020 |
| 5 | 1987 (ROTC) | 33 | (c. 1964– ) |
| 233 | Charles A. Flynn | .jpg) | 4 Jun 2021 |
| 3 | 1985 (ROTC) | 36 | (c. 1963– ) Brother of National Security AdvisorMichael T. Flynn.[150] |
| 234 | Laura J. Richardson |  | 29 Oct 2021 |
| 3 | 1986 (ROTC) | 35 | (1963– ) |
| 235 | Michael E. Kurilla | .jpg) | 1 Apr 2022 |
| 3 | 1988 (USMA) | 34 | (1966– ) |
| 236 | Darryl A. Williams | .jpg) | 27 Jun 2022 |
| 2 | 1983 (USMA) | 39 | (1961– )Superintendent, U.S. Military Academy, 2018–2022. |
| 237 | Andrew P. Poppas | .jpg) | 8 Jul 2022 |
| 3 | 1988 (USMA) | 34 | (c. 1966– ) |
| 238 | Randy A. George | .jpg) | 5 Aug 2022 |
| 4 | 1988 (USMA) | 34 | (1964– ) |
| 239 | Bryan P. Fenton | .jpg) | 30 Aug 2022 |
| 3 | 1987 (ROTC) | 35 | (1965– ) |
| 240 | Gary M. Brito | .jpg) | 8 Sep 2022 |
| 3 | 1987 (ROTC) | 35 | (1964– ) |
| 241 | James E. Rainey |  | 4 Oct 2022 |
| 3 | 1987 (ROTC) | 35 | (c. 1964– ) |
| 242 | Charles R. Hamilton | .jpg) | 16 Mar 2023 |
| 1 | 1988 (OCS) | 35 | (c. 1967– ) Relieved, 2024.[151] Served seven years in the enlisted ranks before receiving his commission in 1988. |
| 243 | James J. Mingus |  | 3 Jan 2024 |
| 2 | 1985 (ROTC) | 39 | (1964– ) |
| 244 | Ronald P. Clark |  | 8 Nov 2024 |
| 2 | 1988 (USMA) | 36 | (1966– ) |
| 245 | Christopher T. Donahue | .jpg) | 10 Dec 2024 |
| 2 | 1992 (USMA) | 32 | (1969– ) |
| 246 | Xavier T. Brunson | .jpg) | 20 Dec 2024 |
| 2 | 1990 (ROTC) | 34 | (c. 1965– ) |
| 247 | David M. Hodne | _(cropped).jpg) | 2 Oct 2025 |
| 1 | 1991 (USMA) | 34 | (1969– ) |
| 248 | Joseph A. Ryan | .jpg) | 5 December 2025 |
| 1 | 1991 (USMA) | 34 | (c. 1969– ) |
| 249 | Thomas M. Carden Jr. |  | 2 Feb 2026 |
| 0 | 1989 (OCS) | 37 | (c. 1968– ) Served three years in the enlisted ranks before receiving his commission in 1989. |
| 250 | Christopher C. LaNeve |  | 6 Feb 2026 |
| 0 | 1990 (ROTC) | 36 | (1967– ) |
In June 1775, theContinental Congress appointedGeorge Washington as general and commander in chief of theContinental Army during theRevolutionary War.[1][an] At the war's end in 1783, Washingtonresigned his commission. As this occurred before the establishment of theUnited States Army in 1784, he is therefore considered never to have held the U.S. Army rank of general.[153][154]
In May 1798, Washington was commissioned as a lieutenant general in the United States Army by his successor as president,John Adams, to command theprovisional army being raised for the undeclaredQuasi-War with France. In March 1799, theUnited 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.[155] Washington died later that year, and the rank lapsed when not mentioned in theMilitary Peace Establishment Act of 1802.[156] He was promoted posthumously to the rank in 1978, after it was reestablished for him as part of the 1976United States Bicentennial celebrations.[157]
The rank of General of the Armies was revived in 1866, with the name "General of the Army of the United States" to reward theCivil War achievements ofUlysses S. Grant, the commanding general of the United States Army (CGUSA).[158] 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.[159] 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.[160][161]
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.[7][162] 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.[163][164]
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 ofgeneral of the Army created in 1944.[165]
.svg)
In 1917, the rank of general was recreated in theNational Army, a temporary force of conscripts and volunteers authorized for the duration of theWorld 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 laterPeyton C. March; and the commander of the American Expeditionary Forces (CG AEF) in France,John J. Pershing.[166] When Bliss reached the retirement age of 64 and stepped down as chief of staff, he was reappointed emergency general bybrevet to serve alongside full generals from allied nations as the U.S. military representative to theSupreme War Council.[167]
All emergency grades expired at the end of the war, so in July 1919, eight months after thearmistice, PresidentWoodrow Wilson asked Congress to reward March and Pershing by making them both permanent generals, with Pershing senior to March.[168][169] 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.[16] 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.[170][171] Both were restored to their wartime ranks of general on the retired list in 1930.[172]
Pershing succeeded March as Army chief of staff in the permanent grade of general, and served from 1921 to 1924.[173][ao] 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 andCharles P. Summerall, outranked by their four-star Navy counterpart, thechief of naval operations.[174] The temporary rank of general was reauthorized for the chief of staff in 1929, elevating Summerall.[19][ap] 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.[28]
.jpg)
The United States enteredWorld War II on 7 December 1941 with one Army general, chief of staffGeorge Marshall, authorized.[173] Legislation enacted in 1933 and amended in 1940 allowed the president to appoint officers of theRegular Army, the Army's professional military component, to higher temporary grades in time of war or national emergency.[176][aq] 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.[178] On 19 December 1941, the Senate confirmedDouglas MacArthur to be the first temporary general in theArmy of the United States, the reconstituted draft force, as he fought theJapanese invasion of the Philippines.[179][180]
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;[181]Henry H. Arnold in March 1943, as commanding general ofArmy Air Forces and member of theJoint Chiefs of Staff;[182] andJoseph W. Stilwell in August 1944,[183] as commander of theChina Burma India Theater and chief of staff to GeneralissimoChiang Kai-shek. Marshall, MacArthur, Eisenhower, and Arnold were further promoted to the temporary five-star grade ofgeneral of the Army in December 1944, made permanent in March 1946.[26][184]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.[185]
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 theTwelfth Army Group—the bulk of American forces on theWestern Front—also received a permanent promotion to general as a one-time personal honor, with full active-duty pay for life.[186][ar] This was superseded by Bradley's promotion to general of the Army while serving as the firstchairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in 1950.[184][188] By the official termination of the World War II national emergency in April 1952, the Army had eight four-star generals.[189][as]
.jpg)
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 gradeex officio, to be filled by officers with the permanent or temporary grade of major general or higher.[178] 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.[178][at] The four-star grade caps evolved into Section 525 ofTitle 10 of the United States Code, which was codified in 1956.[191] The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the office of which was created in 1949, was exempted from the caps.[192]
Escalating global commitments during theCold War created more generals, both at home and abroad; a majority were appointed under renewed national emergency authority in excess of grade caps.[178] 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);[193] the commander of multinational and U.S. forces inKorea (UNC/FECOM, laterUSFK); and until 1973, the commander of U.S. forces inVietnam (USMACV).[194] At the height of theVietnam War in 1971, the Army had 17 four-star generals.[195]
TheDefense Officer Personnel Management Act (DOPMA) of 1980 standardized four-star appointments across all services, replacing the previous service-specific mechanisms.[196] Personal four-star grades held regardless of assignment, once the norm in the post-Civil War era, were abolished under DOPMA.[au] In 1982,Richard E. Cavazos andRoscoe Robinson Jr. became the firstHispanic and firstAfrican-American four-star generals in the Army respectively.[198][199]
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);[200][201] stateside commands for readiness, materiel, and training; overseas component commands; and joint duty positions that are exempted from grade caps.[202][203] Among the latter are the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS); the NATO supreme allied commander in Europe (SACEUR);[204] theunified combatant commanders, including the statutoryCyber Command (USCYBERCOM) andSpecial Operations Command (USSOCOM);[205][206] the chief of the National Guard Bureau (CNGB);[207] and during thewar on terror, the wartime theater commanders inIraq (MNF-I, laterUSF-I) andAfghanistan (ISAF, laterRSM). In 2002, under defense secretaryDonald Rumsfeld, usage of the title "commander in chief" and its acronym "CINC" was reserved for the president and discontinued for military officers, mostly combatant commanders, who were redesignated as "commander".[208]
In 1997,Eric Shinseki became the firstAsian-American four-star general in the Army.[128] In 2007,Ann E. Dunwoody became the first woman to achieve the rank of general in the Army, as well as in any armed service.[209] In 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.[210]
In 2009, Congress directly specified the maximum number of four-star officers in each service, replacing the OPA- and DOPMA-era percentage cap formulas.[211] In 2021, the Army was authorized eight four-star generals for positions within the service by the2021 National Defense Authorization Act: the CSA and VCSA; the commanding generals ofArmy Forces Command (FORSCOM),Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC),Army Materiel Command (AMC), andArmy Futures Command (AFC); and the Army component commanders inEurope/Africa (USAREUR-AF) and thePacific (USARPAC).[212][213]
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.[213][214]
The following list of Congressional legislation includes majoracts of Congress pertaining to appointments to the grade of general in the United States Army.
| Legislation | Citation | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Act of March 3, 1799 | 1 Stat. 752 |
|
| Act of July 25, 1866 | 14 Stat. 223 |
|
| Act of March 1, 1869 | 15 Stat. 281 |
|
| Act of March 3, 1885 | 23 Stat. 434 |
|
| Act of June 1, 1888 | 25 Stat. 165 |
|
| Act of October 6, 1917 | 40 Stat. 410 |
|
| Act of September 3, 1919 | 41 Stat. 283 |
|
| Act of February 23, 1929 | 45 Stat. 1255 |
|
| Act of June 21, 1930 | 46 Stat. 793 |
|
| Act of December 14, 1944 | 58 Stat. 802 |
|
| Act of August 7, 1947 [Officer Personnel Act of 1947] | 61 Stat. 886 |
|
| Act of June 26, 1948 | 62 Stat. 1052 |
|
| Act of September 18, 1950 | 64 Stat. A224 |
|
| Act of October 11, 1976 | 90 Stat. 2078 |
|
| Act of December 12, 1980 [Defense Officer Personnel Management Act] | 94 Stat. 2844 94 Stat. 2849 94 Stat. 2876 |
|
| Act of January 28, 2008 | 122 Stat. 496 |
|
| Act of October 28, 2009 | 123 Stat. 2273 123 Stat. 2274 123 Stat. 2276 |
|
| Act of December 23, 2022 | 136 Stat. 2611 |
|
| Act of December 22, 2023 | 137 Stat. 244 |
|
[with scanned attachment copy of April 19, 2024, U.S. Department of Defense] Memorandum for the Secretary of the Army; Subject: Posthumous Advancement on the Retired List; . . . General Ulysses S. Grant . . . to the grade of General of the Armies . . .
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This article incorporatespublic domain material from websites or documents of theUnited States Army.
