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List of United States Army four-star generals

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four-star general

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 259 four-star generals in the history of the U.S. Army. Of these, 245 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: 162 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

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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]

List of United States Army four-star generals
# 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 to General of the Armies, 4 Jul 1976. Chancellor, College of William & Mary, 1788–1799;[5] U.S. President, 1789–1797. Awarded Congressional Gold Medal, 1776.[6]
1 Ulysses S. Grant
25 Jul 1866   5 1843 (USMA) 23 (1822–1885)[h] Promoted to General of the Armies, 19 Apr 2024. U.S. President, 1869–1877. Awarded Congressional Gold Medal, 1863.[9] Married great-aunt of Navy four-star admiral U. 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 of U.S. Secretary of State John 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 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.[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
21 Nov 1930   9 1903 (USMA) 27 (1880–1964)[m] 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.[23] Grandson of Wisconsin Governor Arthur 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 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.[27]
* John L. Hines
15 Jun 1940  
  • (retired)
 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 to general 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 to general of the Army, 21 Dec 1944; to general 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
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 to general of the Army, 22 Sep 1950. Awarded Presidential 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 general John K. Waters.
24 Courtney H. Hodges
15 Apr 1945   4 1909 (direct) 36 (1887–1966)
25 Jonathan M. Wainwright IV
5 Sep 1945   1 1906 (USMA) 39 (1883–1953) National Commander, Disabled American Veterans, 1948–1949. Awarded Medal of Honor, 1945.[40]
26 Lucius D. Clay
28 Mar 1947   2 1918 (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.[41]
27 J. Lawton Collins
24 Jan 1948   8 1917 (USMA) 31 (1896–1987) U.S. Special Representative to Vietnam, 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
20 Dec 1950  
  • (posthumous)
 0 1912 (USMA) 38 (1889–1950)[y] Died in office. Father of Army four-star general Sam S. Walker.
29 Matthew B. Ridgway
11 May 1951   4 1917 (USMA) 34 (1895–1993) Awarded Presidential 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
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 the Far 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
19 Jul 1954  
  • (retired)
 0 1909 (USMA) 45 (1886–1961)[aa] Superintendent, U.S. Military Academy, 1940–1942.[53]
* Lucian K. Truscott Jr.
19 Jul 1954  
  • (retired)
 0 1917 (direct) 37 (1895–1965)[aa] Deputy Director for Coordination, Central Intelligence Agency, 1953–1959.[54]
* Leonard T. Gerow
19 Jul 1954  
  • (retired)
 0 1911 (VMI)[o] 43 (1888–1972)[aa]
* William H. Simpson
19 Jul 1954  
  • (retired)
 0 1909 (USMA) 45 (1888–1980)[aa]
* Ben Lear
19 Jul 1954  
  • (retired)
 0 1901 (direct) 53 (1879–1966)[aa]
* Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr.
19 Jul 1954  
  • (posthumous)
 0 1908 (USMA) 46 (1886–1945)[aa] Killed in action. Son of Kentucky Governor Simon Bolivar Buckner Sr.
* Alexander M. Patch
19 Jul 1954  
  • (posthumous)
 0 1913 (USMA) 41 (1889–1945)[aa] Died in office.
* Lesley J. McNair
19 Jul 1954  
  • (posthumous)
 0 1904 (USMA) 50 (1883–1944)[aa] Killed in action.
* John L. DeWitt
19 Jul 1954  
  • (retired)
 0 1898 (direct) 56 (1880–1962)[aa] Commandant, U.S. Army War College, 1937–1939.[15]
* Albert C. Wedemeyer
19 Jul 1954  
  • (retired)
 0 1918 (USMA) 36 (1897–1989)[aa] Special Representative of the President in China and Korea, 1947. Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom, 1985.[55][56]
* Robert C. Richardson Jr.
19 Jul 1954  
  • (posthumous)
 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
25 Mar 1955   14 1920 (USMA) 35 (1899–1988)[59][ab] President, Association of the United States Army, 1955.[62] Awarded Presidential 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 general Charles D. Palmer.
42 Isaac D. White
22 Jun 1955   6 1922 (Norwich) 33 (1901–1990)
43 Willard G. Wyman
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
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 general Williston B. Palmer.
51 Clark L. Ruffner
1 Mar 1960   2 1924 (VMI) 36 (1903–1982)
52 James E. Moore
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 and Samoa, 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  
  • 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.
 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 general Frank 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.
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 general George S. Patton.
63 Andrew P. O'Meara
6 Jun 1963   4 1930 (USMA) 33 (1907–2005)
64 Theodore W. Parker
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
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 general Earle 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 for Republican 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 generals John N. Abrams and Robert 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
1 Nov 1966  
  • 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.
 3 1933 (USMA) 33 (1909–1990)
75 James H. Polk
31 May 1967   4 1933 (USMA) 34 (1911–1992) Distant cousin of U.S. President James 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. Awarded Presidential 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  
  • 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.
 4 1935 (USMA) 34 (1913–1986)
86 John H. Michaelis
1 Oct 1969   3 1936 (USMA) 33 (1912–1985)
87 Lewis B. Hershey
23 Dec 1969  
  • Presidential Advisor on Manpower Mobilization, 1970–1973.
 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 married Navy four-star admiral Arthur 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 for Republican Party nomination for U.S. President, 1988.
95 Walter T. Kerwin Jr.
1 Feb 1973   5 1939 (USMA) 34 (1917–2008) Married widow of Marine Corps four-star general Keith B. McCutcheon.
96 William E. DePuy
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
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 general David 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 to Vietnam for POW/MIA Affairs, 1987–1997. Awarded Presidential 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 general Walton 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) Brother of U.S. Secretary of Education Lauro Cavazos. First Hispanic to achieve the rank of general in the Army.[94]
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) First African-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–        )
120 Wallace H. Nutting
25 May 1983   2 1950 (USMA) 33 (1928–2023)[95]
121 Maxwell R. Thurman
23 Jun 1983   7 1953 (ROTC) 30 (1931–1995)[96]
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)[97] U.S. Special Representative to Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1994.[98]
126 Fred K. Mahaffey
17 Jun 1985   1 1955 (ROTC) 30 (1934–1986)[99] Died in office.
127 Jack N. Merritt
1 Dec 1985   2 1953 (OCS) 32 (1930–2018)[100] Commandant, U.S. Army War College, 1980–1982;[15] President, Association of the United States Army, 1988–1998.
128 Carl E. Vuono
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)[101]
131 Louis C. Wagner Jr.
13 Apr 1987   2 1954 (USMA) 33 (1932–        )
132 Frederick F. Woerner Jr.
6 Jun 1987   2 1955 (USMA) 32 (1933–2023) Relieved, 1989.[102] 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
24 Jun 1987   3 1953 (ROTC) 34 (1929–2009)
135 Crosbie E. Saint
24 Jun 1988   4 1958 (USMA) 30 (1936–2018)[103]
136 H. Norman Schwarzkopf Jr.
23 Nov 1988   3 1956 (USMA) 32 (1934–2012)[104] Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom, 1991; Congressional Gold Medal, 1991.[105]
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)[106] 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.[107]
139 John W. Foss
2 Aug 1989   2 1956 (USMA) 33 (1933–2020)[108]
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)[109]
142 Gordon R. Sullivan
4 Jun 1990   5 1959 (Norwich) 31 (1937–2024)[110] President, Association of the United States Army, 1998–2016.
143 Carl W. Stiner
1 Jul 1990   3 1958 (ROTC) 32 (1936–2022)[111]
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)[112] Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom, 1997.[113]
149 David M. Maddox
9 Jul 1992   2 1960 (VMI) 32 (1938–        )
150 J. H. Binford Peay III
26 Mar 1993   4 1962 (VMI) 31 (1940–        ) Superintendent, Virginia Military Institute, 2003–2020.[114]
151 Wayne A. Downing
20 May 1993   3 1962 (USMA) 31 (1940–2007) Deputy National Security Advisor for Combating Terrorism, 2001–2002.[115]
152 Gary E. Luck
1 Jul 1993   3 1960 (ROTC) 33 (1937–2024)[116]
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.[117]
155 John H. Tilelli Jr.
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)[118]
157 William W. Crouch
1 Jan 1995   3 1963 (ROTC) 32 (1941–        )
158 Ronald H. Griffith
6 Jun 1995   2 1960 (ROTC) 35 (1936–2018)[119]
159 H. Hugh Shelton
1 Mar 1996   5 1964 (ROTC) 32 (1942–        ) Awarded Congressional Gold Medal, 2002.[120]
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 for Democratic Party nomination for U.S. President, 2004.[121] Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom, 2000.[122]
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. First Asian-American to achieve four-star rank in any service.[123]
164 Peter J. Schoomaker
4 Oct 1997   7 1969 (ROTC) 28 (1946–        )[aj]
165 Thomas A. Schwartz
31 Aug 1998   4 1967 (USMA) 31 (1945–        )
166 John N. Abrams
14 Sep 1998   4 1968 (OCS) 30 (1946–2018)[124] Son of Army four-star general Creighton W. Abrams Jr.; brother of Army four-star general Robert B. Abrams.
167 Montgomery C. Meigs
10 Nov 1998   4 1967 (USMA) 31 (1945–2021)[125] Director, Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization, 2005–2007. Distant cousin of Navy four-star admiral Montgomery M. Taylor.
168 John M. Keane
22 Jan 1999   4 1966 (ROTC) 33 (1943–        ) Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom, 2020.[126]
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–        )
172 Tommy R. Franks
6 Jul 2000   3 1967 (OCS) 33 (1945–        ) Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom, 2004.[127]
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
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.[129]
180 Bryan D. Brown
25 Aug 2003   4 1970 (OCS) 33 (1948–        ) First army aviator to achieve the rank of general.[130]
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.[131]
188 William E. Ward
3 May 2006   5 1971 (ROTC) 35 (1949–        )[al] U.S. Security Coordinator, Israel-Palestinian Authority, 2005.[133]
189 Charles C. Campbell
9 Jan 2007   3 1970 (ROTC) 37 (1948–2016)[134]
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 general William A. Knowlton.[135]
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.[136]
194 Raymond T. Odierno
16 Sep 2008   7 1976 (USMA) 32 (1954–2021)[137][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.[139]
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.[140]
201 Robert W. Cone
29 Apr 2011   3 1979 (USMA) 32 (1957–2016)[141]
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. First Army 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
14 Mar 2014   4 1980 (USMA) 34 (1957–        )
211 Mark A. Milley
15 Aug 2014   9 1980 (ROTC) 34 (1958–        )
212 Joseph L. Votel
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 general Creighton W. Abrams Jr.; brother of Army four-star general John N. Abrams.[124]
214 John W. Nicholson Jr.
2 Mar 2016   2 1982 (USMA) 34 (1957–        ) Nephew of U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert J. Nicholson.
215 Raymond A. Thomas III
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.[142]
217 Gustave F. Perna
30 Sep 2016   5 1981 (VFMAC) 35 (1960–        )
218 James C. McConville
16 Jun 2017   6 1981 (USMA) 36 (1959–        )
219 Stephen J. Townsend
2 Mar 2018   4 1982 (NGCSU) 36 (1959–        )
220 Paul M. Nakasone
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
21 Mar 2019   3 1984 (ROTC) 35 (1961–        ) Chairman, American Battle Monuments Commission, 2023–present.[143]
225 Richard D. Clarke Jr.
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
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
20 Aug 2020   4 1985 (ROTC) 35 (c. 1962–        )
232 Christopher G. Cavoli
1 Oct 2020   4 1987 (ROTC) 33 (c. 1965–        )
233 Charles A. Flynn
4 Jun 2021   3 1985 (ROTC) 36 (c. 1963–        ) Brother of National Security Advisor Michael T. Flynn.[144]
234 Laura J. Richardson
29 Oct 2021   3 1986 (ROTC) 35 (1963–        )
235 Michael E. Kurilla
1 Apr 2022   2 1988 (USMA) 34 (1966–        )
236 Darryl A. Williams
27 Jun 2022   2 1983 (USMA) 39 (1961–        ) Superintendent, U.S. Military Academy, 2018–2022.
237 Andrew P. Poppas
8 Jul 2022   2 1988 (USMA) 34 (c. 1966–        )
238 Randy A. George
5 Aug 2022   2 1988 (USMA) 34 (1964–        )
239 Bryan P. Fenton
30 Aug 2022   2 1987 (ROTC) 35 (1965–        )
240 Gary M. Brito
8 Sep 2022   2 1987 (ROTC) 35 (1964–        )
241 James E. Rainey
4 Oct 2022   2 1987 (ROTC) 35 (c. 1964–        )
242 Charles R. Hamilton
16 Mar 2023   1 1988 (OCS) 35 (c. 1967–        )
243 James J. Mingus
3 Jan 2024   0 1985 (ROTC) 39 (1964–        )
244 Ronald P. Clark
8 Nov 2024   0 1988 (USMA) 36 (1966–        )
245 Xavier T. Brunson
20 Dec 2024   0 1990 (ROTC) 34 (c. 1965–        )

History

[edit]

Four-star positions

[edit]
Unified combatant commandUnified combatant commandUnified combatant commandJoint Chiefs of StaffIraq WarWar in Afghanistan (2001–2021)Gulf WarVietnam WarKorean WarCold WarWorld War IIWorld War ISpanish–American WarAmerican Civil War
United States Army Air ForcesStructure of the United States ArmyStructure of the United States ArmyStructure of the United States Armyfederal government of the United StatesUnited States Intelligence Communitycombined operationsNational Guard (United States)

1775–1799

[edit]
George Washington takes command of the Continental Army, c. 1775.

In June 1775, the Continental Congress appointed George Washington as general and commander in chief of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War.[1][an] 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.[146][147]

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.[148] Washington died later that year, and the rank lapsed when not mentioned in the Military Peace Establishment Act of 1802.[149] He was promoted posthumously to the rank in 1978, after it was reestablished for him as part of the 1976 United States Bicentennial celebrations.[150]

George WashingtonMexican–American WarWar of 1812American Revolution

1866–1941

[edit]

Civil War and aftermath

[edit]
The Civil War-era generals of the Army (Grant, Sherman, and Sheridan) with President Abraham Lincoln, March 1865.

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).[151] 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.[152] 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.[153][154]

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][155] 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.[156][157]

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.[158]

World War I

[edit]
The rank flag of General of the Armies John J. Pershing, presented to him in 1922.

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.[159] 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.[160]

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.[161][162] 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.[163][164] Both were restored to their wartime ranks of general on the retired list in 1930.[165]

Interwar

[edit]

Pershing succeeded March as Army chief of staff in the permanent grade of general, and served from 1921 to 1924.[166][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 and Charles P. Summerall, outranked by their four-star Navy counterpart, the chief of naval operations.[167] 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]

George MarshallMalin CraigDouglas MacArthurCharles Pelot SummerallPeyton C. MarchJohn J. PershingTasker H. BlissPhilip SheridanWilliam Tecumseh ShermanUlysses S. GrantWorld War IIWorld War ISpanish–American WarAmerican Civil War

1941–1991

[edit]

World War II and aftermath

[edit]
Omar Bradley was made a permanent general in 1948 as a one-time personal honor, with full active-duty pay for life.

The United States entered World War II on 7 December 1941 with one Army general, chief of staff George Marshall, authorized.[166] 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.[169][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.[171] 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.[172][173]

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;[174] Henry H. Arnold in March 1943, as commanding general of Army Air Forces and member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff;[175] and Joseph W. Stilwell in August 1944,[176] 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.[26][177] 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.[178]

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.[179][ar] 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.[177][181] By the official termination of the World War II national emergency in April 1952, the Army had eight four-star generals.[182][as]

Cold War

[edit]
Senior leadership at the Army Commander's Conference, 20 October 1983. Generals Richard E. Cavazos (third from left) and Roscoe Robinson Jr. (third from right) are the first Hispanic and first African-American four-star generals in the Army.

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.[171] 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.[171][at] The four-star grade caps evolved into Section 525 of Title 10 of the United States Code, which was codified in 1956.[184] The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the office of which was created in 1949, was exempted from the caps.[185]

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.[171] 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);[186] 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).[187] At the height of the Vietnam War in 1971, the Army had 17 four-star generals.[188]

The Defense Officer Personnel Management Act (DOPMA) of 1980 standardized four-star appointments across all services, replacing the previous service-specific mechanisms.[189] 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 and Roscoe Robinson Jr. became the first Hispanic and first African-American four-star generals in the Army respectively.[191][192]

George JoulwanCarl W. StinerGordon R. SullivanWilliam G. T. Tuttle Jr.Edwin H. Burba Jr.John W. FossColin PowellRobert W. RisCassiNorman Schwarzkopf Jr.Crosbie E. SaintArthur E. Brown Jr.Louis C. MenetreyFrederick F. Woerner Jr.Louis C. Wagner Jr.James J. LindsayJoseph T. Palastra Jr.Carl E. VuonoJack N. MerrittFred K. MahaffeyJohn Galvin (general)Robert KingstonRichard Horner ThompsonWilliam J. LivseyMaxwell R. ThurmanWallace H. NuttingPaul F. GormanWilliam R. Richardson (general)Roscoe Robinson Jr.Robert W. SennewaldRichard E. CavazosGlenn K. OtisDonald R. KeithVolney F. WarnerJohn A. Wickham Jr.Edward C. MeyerRobert M. ShoemakerDonn A. StarrySam S. WalkerJohn R. GuthrieJohn William Vessey Jr.Frederick KroesenWilliam A. KnowltonGeorge S. BlanchardJohn R. Deane Jr.John J. HennesseyBernard W. RogersMelvin ZaisRichard G. StilwellWilliam E. DePuyWalter T. Kerwin Jr.Alexander HaigDonald V. BennettGeorge V. Underwood Jr.Michael S. DavisonFrank T. MildrenHenry A. Miley Jr.Frederick C. WeyandLewis Blaine HersheyJohn H. MichaelisJohn L. ThrockmortonWilliam B. RossonFerdinand J. ChesarekGeorge R. MatherBruce Palmer Jr.Berton E. Spivy Jr.Ben HarrellAndrew GoodpasterJames K. WoolnoughRalph E. Haines Jr.James H. PolkTheodore J. ConwayCharles H. Bonesteel IIIDwight E. BeachRobert W. Porter Jr.Creighton AbramsWilliam WestmorelandHarold Keith JohnsonFrank S. Besson Jr.Hugh P. HarrisHamilton HowzeTheodore W. ParkerAndrew P. O'MearaJohn K. WatersRobert J. WoodPaul L. Freeman Jr.Barksdale HamlettEarle WheelerPaul D. HarkinsPaul D. AdamsGuy S. Meloy Jr.James F. CollinsHerbert B. PowellJames Edward MooreClark L. RuffnerCharles D. PalmerCarter B. MagruderClyde D. EddlemanBruce C. ClarkeHenry I. HodesGeorge DeckerCortlandt V. R. SchuylerWillard G. WymanIsaac D. WhiteWilliston B. PalmerLyman L. LemnitzerAnthony McAuliffeJohn E. DahlquistWilliam M. HogeCharles L. BolteMaxwell D. TaylorJohn R. HodgeAlfred GruentherJames Van FleetJohn E. HullWalter Bedell SmithMatthew RidgwayWade H. HaislipJ. Lawton CollinsLucius D. ClayJonathan M. Wainwright (general)Courtney HodgesGeorge S. PattonThomas T. HandyOmar BradleyCarl SpaatzMark W. ClarkGeorge KenneyJacob L. DeversJoseph T. McNarneyBrehon B. SomervellWalter KruegerJoseph W. StilwellHenry H. ArnoldDwight D. EisenhowerGeorge MarshallMalin CraigDouglas MacArthurGulf WarVietnam WarKorean WarCold WarWorld War II

1991–present

[edit]
Ann E. Dunwoody (right), the first woman to become a four-star general in the Army, is sworn into her new rank by Army chief of staff George W. Casey Jr. (back facing camera) on 14 November 2008.

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);[193][194] stateside commands for readiness, materiel, and training; overseas component commands; and joint duty positions that are exempted from grade caps.[195][196] Among the latter are the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS); the NATO supreme allied commander in Europe (SACEUR);[197] the unified combatant commanders, including the statutory Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM) and Special Operations Command (USSOCOM);[198][199] 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.[200] 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.[201] Similarly, in 1997, Eric Shinseki became the first Asian-American four-star general in the Army.[123] 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.[202]

In 2009, Congress directly specified the maximum number of four-star officers in each service, replacing the OPA- and DOPMA-era percentage cap formulas.[203] 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).[204][205]

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.[205][206]

Xavier BrunsonRonald P. ClarkJames J. MingusCharles R. HamiltonJames RaineyGary BritoBryan P. FentonRandy GeorgeAndrew P. PoppasDarryl A. WilliamsMichael KurillaLaura J. RichardsonCharles A. FlynnChristopher G. CavoliJames H. DickinsonDaniel R. HokansonEdward M. DalyPaul LaCameraJoseph M. MartinPaul E. Funk IIRichard D. ClarkeMichael X. GarrettAustin S. MillerJohn M. MurrayStephen R. LyonsPaul M. NakasoneStephen J. TownsendJames C. McConvilleGustave F. PernaRobert Brooks BrownRaymond A. ThomasJohn W. Nicholson Jr.Robert B. AbramsJoseph VotelMark MilleyDavid G. PerkinsCurtis ScaparrottiVincent K. BrooksDaniel B. AllynJohn F. Campbell (general)Frank J. GrassDennis L. ViaDavid M. RodriguezCharles H. Jacoby Jr.Robert W. ConeLloyd AustinJames D. ThurmanKeith B. AlexanderStanley A. McChrystalMartin DempseyAnn E. DunwoodyRaymond T. OdiernoCarter HamPeter W. ChiarelliWalter L. SharpDavid PetraeusCharles C. Campbell (general)William E. WardDavid D. McKiernanWilliam S. WallaceBantz J. CraddockBenjamin S. GriffinDan K. McNeillRichard A. CodyGeorge W. Casey Jr.Bryan D. BrownJohn AbizaidBurwell B. Bell IIIKevin P. ByrnesJames T. HillLeon J. LaPorteLarry R. EllisPaul J. KernTommy FranksWilliam F. KernanJohn W. HendrixJohn G. CoburnJack KeaneMontgomery Meigs (born 1945)John N. AbramsThomas A. SchwartzPeter SchoomakerEric K. ShinsekiDavid A. BramlettWesley ClarkJohnnie E. WilsonHugh SheltonRonald H. GriffithWilliam W. CrouchWilliam W. HartzogJohn H. Tilelli Jr.Barry McCaffreyLeon E. SalomonGary E. LuckWayne A. DowningJ. H. Binford Peay IIIDavid M. MaddoxJohn ShalikashviliJimmy D. RossFrederick M. Franks Jr.Dennis ReimerGeorge JoulwanCarl StinerGordon R. SullivanWilliam G. T. Tuttle Jr.Edwin H. Burba Jr.Colin PowellRobert W. RisCassiCrosbie E. SaintJohn Galvin (general)Iraq WarWar in Afghanistan (2001–2021)

Legislation

[edit]
Further information: Legislative history of United States four-star officers

The following list of Congressional legislation includes major acts 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
  • Authorized brevet ranks for distinguished conduct and public service in presence of the enemy (Tasker H. Bliss) [repealed in 1956 (70A Stat. 642)].
Act of March 3, 1885  23 Stat. 434
  • Authorized rank and full pay of general on the retired list for Ulysses S. Grant.
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
  • Increased rank of chief of staff of the Army to general.
Act of June 21, 1930  46 Stat. 793
  • 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  58 Stat. 802
Act of August 7, 1947

[Officer Personnel Act of 1947]

 61 Stat. 886
  • 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  62 Stat. 1052
  • Authorized permanent grade of general and full active-duty pay and allowances in retirement for Omar N. Bradley.
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
  • 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 (105 Stat. 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 (110 Stat. 292)].
Act of January 28, 2008  122 Stat. 496
  • Increased grade of chief of the National Guard Bureau to general.
Act of October 28, 2009  123 Stat. 2273
 123 Stat. 2274
 123 Stat. 2276
  • 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 (130 Stat. 2100); caps changed in 2021 to 8 Army generals and 19 joint-duty generals (134 Stat. 3563)].
Act of December 23, 2022  136 Stat. 2611
Act of December 22, 2023  137 Stat. 244
  • Increased grade of vice chief of the National Guard Bureau to general.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Ford 1905, pp. 89–92.
  2. ^ Washington, George (23 December 1783). "III. Washington's Address to Congress Resigning his Commission". Founders Online. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  3. ^ "In Command of the Army". The Roanoke Times. Vol. 27, no. 146. 20 June 1900. p. 2. Retrieved 2 November 2024 – via Virginia Chronicle.
  4. ^ Act of October 11, 1976 (90 Stat. 2078). Alexander, Clifford (13 March 1978). "Orders 31-3" (Document). Alexandria, Virginia: U.S. Army Military Personnel Center.
  5. ^ "Chancellor – Duties and History". College of William & Mary. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
  6. ^ Straus 2024, pp. 1–2.
  7. ^ a b Act of March 3, 1885 (23 Stat. 434).
  8. ^ Simpson, Brooks D. [@BrooksDSimpson] (11 October 2024). "Someone got promoted!" (Tweet). Retrieved 12 October 2024 – via Twitter. [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 . . .
  9. ^ Straus 2024, p. 20.
  10. ^ Marquis, Christopher (18 December 2001). "Ulysses S. Grant Sharp Jr., Vietnam War Admiral, 95". The New York Times. p. C15. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
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  12. ^ a b Bell 2013, p. 112.
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  194. ^ 10 U.S.C. § 7034 – Vice Chief of Staff. Act of October 1, 1986 [Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986] (100 Stat. 1041).
  195. ^ Act of October 5, 1994 [National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1995] (108 Stat. 2745)
  196. ^ "10 U.S.C. § 526 – Authorized strength: general officers and flag officers on active duty". United States Code. Retrieved 27 September 2024.
  197. ^ "Did you know... how many SACEURs continued their military careers in other posts after leaving SHAPE?". Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
  198. ^ 10 U.S.C. § 167b – Unified combatant command for cyber operations.
  199. ^ 10 U.S.C. § 167 – Unified combatant command for special operations forces.
  200. ^ Act of January 28, 2008 [National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008] (122 Stat. 496). Smith, Mike (18 November 2008). "Guard's first four-star ready to take Minutemen forward". National Guard Bureau. Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  201. ^ Burns, Robert (14 November 2008). "In salute to history, Army pins 4 stars on female general". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Associated Press. Retrieved 26 October 2024. Snyder, John (2 May 2012). "Stars align at the Watervliet Arsenal". United States Army. Watervliet, New York. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
  202. ^ Greenhill, Jim (8 September 2012). "Army Gen. Frank Grass becomes 27th chief of the National Guard Bureau". National Guard Bureau. Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
  203. ^ Act of October 28, 2009 [National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010] (123 Stat. 2273).
  204. ^ Act of January 1, 2021 [William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021] (134 Stat. 3563).
  205. ^ a b Cox, Matthew (20 August 2020). "The Army Now Has the Most 4-Star Generals on Duty Since World War II". Military.com. Judson, Jen (8 October 2020). "US Army Europe and US Army Africa to merge as commander pins on fourth star". Defense News.
  206. ^ "Annex B (General/Flag Officer Strengths, 1945 to 1967)". Report on General/Flag Officer Requirements (PDF). Washington, D.C.: 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). 1 March 1968. 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. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. 1971. p. 2237 – via Google Books.

Notes

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  1. ^ a b Dates of rank are taken, where available, from the U.S. Army register of active and retired commissioned officers, or from the World Almanac and Book of Facts. The date listed is that of the officer's first promotion to general.
  2. ^ a b Positions listed are those held by the officer when promoted to general. Dates listed are for the officer's full tenure, which may predate promotion to four-star rank or postdate retirement from active duty.
  3. ^ a b The number of years of active-duty service at four-star rank is approximated by subtracting the year in the "Date of rank" column from the last year in the "Position" column. Time spent between active-duty four-star assignments is not counted.
  4. ^ a b Sources of commission are listed in parentheses after the year of commission and include: the United States Military Academy (USMA); Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) at a civilian university; ROTC at a senior military college such as the Virginia Military Institute (VMI), Norwich University (Norwich), Pennsylvania Military College (PMC), Widener University (Widener), or The Citadel (Citadel); Officer Candidate School (OCS); the aviation cadet program (cadet); the Army National Guard (ARNG); direct commission (direct); and battlefield commission (battlefield).
  5. ^ a b The number of years in commission before being promoted to four-star rank is approximated by subtracting the year in the "Commission" column from the year in the "Date of rank" column.
  6. ^ a b Notes include years of birth and death; awards of the Medal of Honor, Congressional Gold Medal, Presidential Medal of Freedom, or honors of similar significance; major government appointments; university presidencies, executive leadership of major military non-profit organizations, or equivalents; familial relationships with other four-star officers or significant government officials such as U.S. Presidents, cabinet secretaries, U.S. Senators, or state governors; and unusual career events such as premature relief or death in office.
  7. ^ Commissioned general in the Continental Army, 15 June 1775; resigned, 23 December 1783; commissioned lieutenant general in the U.S. Army, 3 July 1798; posthumously promoted to General of the Armies, 11 October 1976, with date of rank 4 July 1976.[1][2][3][4]
  8. ^ Resigned, 4 March 1869, to serve as President; reappointed general and placed on the retired list, 3 March 1885; posthumously promoted to General of the Armies, 19 April 2024.[7][8]
  9. ^ Appointed emergency general as chief of staff of the Army, 6 October 1917; retired as chief of staff, 18 May 1918; brevetted general as member of the Supreme War Council, 20 May 1918.[11][12][13]
  10. ^ a b Reverted to major general upon expiration of wartime legislation, 1 July 1920; advanced to general on the retired list, 21 June 1930, as highest grade held during World War I.[14]
  11. ^ Appointed emergency general as commander of U.S. forces in France, 6 October 1917; promoted to General of the Armies, 3 September 1919.[11][16]
  12. ^ Appointed ex officio general as chief of staff of the Army, 23 February 1929; reverted to major general, 20 November 1930; retired as general, 31 March 1931.[19][20]
  13. ^ Reverted to major general, 1 October 1935; retired as general, 31 December 1937; recalled as major general, 26 July 1941; promoted to lieutenant general, 27 July 1941; promoted to general, 18 December 1941, with rank from 16 September 1936; promoted to general of the Army, 18 December 1944; rank made permanent, 11 April 1946; restored to active list, 9 July 1948; relieved of all commands, 11 April 1951.[22]
  14. ^ Retired as general, 31 August 1939; recalled as general, 26 September 1941.[24]
  15. ^ a b c Received a direct commission following graduation from a military college prior to the creation of ROTC.
  16. ^ Promoted to general of the Army, 16 December 1944; rank made permanent, 11 April 1946; retired as general of the Army, 28 February 1947; restored to active list, 1 March 1949.[25][26]
  17. ^ Advanced to general on the retired list, 15 June 1940, as former chief of staff of the Army.[28]
  18. ^ Promoted to general of the Army, 20 December 1944; rank made permanent, 11 April 1946; retired as general of the Army, 7 February 1948; recalled as general of the Army, 16 December 1950; resigned, 18 July 1952, to run for President; reappointed general of the Army, 30 March 1961.[30]
  19. ^ a b c d Transferred to U.S. Air Force, 18 September 1947.
  20. ^ Promoted to general of the Army, 21 December 1944; rank made permanent, 11 April 1946; retired as general of the Army, 30 June 1946; appointed general of the Air Force, 7 May 1949.[31]
  21. ^ Retired as major general, 31 January 1945; recalled 1 February 1945; promoted to general, 5 March 1945; advanced to general on the retired list, 12 July 1946; retired, 20 July 1946.[32]
  22. ^ Terminated appointment as general in Army of the United States, 29 April 1946; retired as major general, 30 April 1946; advanced to general on the retired list, 4 June 1948.[33]
  23. ^ Nomination as U.S. Ambassador to Vatican City withdrawn, 1952.[35]
  24. ^ Promoted to general, 12 March 1945; rank made permanent, 26 June 1948; promoted to general of the Army, 22 September 1950.[38]
  25. ^ Died in car crash, 23 December 1950; posthumously promoted to general, 2 January 1951, with rank from 20 December 1950.[44]
  26. ^ Retired as general, 1 July 1959; recalled as general, 1 July 1961.[50]
  27. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Advanced to general on the retired list, 19 July 1954, as a lieutenant general who, during World War II, commanded Army Ground Forces, commanded an army in any of the Theaters of Operations, was commanding general of U.S. forces in China and chief of staff to Chiang Kai-shek, or commanded Western Defense Command.[52]
  28. ^ Retired as general, 31 August 1963; recalled as general, 1 September 1963.[60][61]
  29. ^ Retired as general, 1 December 1959; recalled as general, January 1960.[65]
  30. ^ Retired as general, 1 September 1965; recalled as general, 1 February 1968.[72]
  31. ^ Retired as general, July 1970; recalled as general, August 1970.
  32. ^ Retired as general, December 1974; recalled as lieutenant general, June 1977; retired as general, July 1981.
  33. ^ Transferred from Army National Guard, 18 October 1920; retired as major general, 31 December 1946; recalled as major general on the retired list, 1 January 1947; promoted to lieutenant general, 23 June 1956; promoted to general, 16 February 1970, with date of rank 23 December 1969; relieved, 9 April 1973; retired as general, 10 April 1973.[81]
  34. ^ Retired as general, 1 August 1973; remained White House chief of staff as civilian until 1974; recalled as general, September 1974.
  35. ^ Graduated from Pennsylvania Military College, which was reorganized as a civilian institution in 1972 and is now Widener University.
  36. ^ Retired as general, November 2000; recalled as general, August 2003.
  37. ^ Relieved, August 2005, and retired as lieutenant general.[128]
  38. ^ Reverted to major general, March 2011; retired as lieutenant general, 13 November 2012.[132]
  39. ^ Nomination as Vice Chief of Staff, U.S. Army (VCSA) withdrawn, 2008.[138]
  40. ^ On at least one occasion, Washington styled himself "Captain-General and Commander in Chief of the Forces of the Thirteen United Colonies", in his proclamation on the occupation of Boston on 21 March 1776.[145]
  41. ^ The Comptroller General of the United States ruled in 1924 that the offices of "general" (as referred to in the Act of June 4, 1920 [National Defense Act Amendments] (41 Stat. 760) that provided for the peacetime army), "General of the Army of the United States", and "General of the Armies of the United States" were all the same grade held by Grant, Sherman, Sheridan, and now Pershing, who was therefore entitled to the annual pay of $13,500 and other privileges set for Sherman in 1870, including the right to retire at full pay and allowances.[151]
  42. ^ Since the Navy, in fact, had four admirals—the chief of naval operations and the commanders in chief of the United States Fleet, Battle Fleet, and Asiatic Fleet—the Army asked in 1928 to have four generals: the chief of staff and the commanding generals of the Panama Canal Department, Hawaiian Department and Philippine Department. Only the increase in rank for the chief of staff was approved.[168]
  43. ^ The relevant provisions were amendments to Section 127(a) of the National Defense Act of 1916. In 1940, the authorization, initially applying only to wartime, was extended to national emergencies.[170]
  44. ^ Procedurally, Bradley's promotion was among a slate of permanent four-star promotions for the Army, Navy, and Air Force, to balance the same promotions granted to the Marine Corps and Coast Guard commandants during World War II, Alexander Vandegrift and Russell R. Waesche.[180]
  45. ^ The eight four-star Army generals on active duty on 28 April 1952, by seniority within rank, were:
  46. ^ These vacancies initially went to the chief of staff, vice chief of staff, and the commanding generals of Army Ground Forces and occupation forces in Germany and Japan.[183]
  47. ^ The final use of such an authority (61 Stat. 907) was from 1953 to 1955 for convenience during the Korean War emergency, but was dropped at the request of the Senate Armed Services Committee.[190]

Bibliography

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Books and papers

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Journals and magazines

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Online publications

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Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Army.

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