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General and Commander-in-Chief1

  • George Washington (1732–1799), b. Westmoreland County, Va., unanimously voted by Congress on June 15, 1775, to the rank of general and commander-in-chief (of the Continental army).

General of the Armies2

  • John Joseph Pershing (1860–1948), b. Linn County, Mo., made permanent general of the armies, 1919.

General of the Army, General of the Air Force (Five-Stars)

  • George Catlett Marshall (1880–1959), b. Uniontown, Pa., promoted Dec. 1944.Douglas MacArthur (1880–1964), b. Little Rock, Ark., promoted Dec. 1944.Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969), b. Denison, Tex., promoted Dec. 1944.Henry Harley Arnold (1886–1950), b. Gladwyne, Pa. Arnold had the unique distinction of being a five-star general twice—in 1944 as general of the army, and in June 1949 as general of the air force. He is the only air force general to have held the five-star rank.Omar Nelson Bradley (1893–1981), b. Clark, Mo., promoted Sept. 1950.

Admiral of the Navy

  • George Dewey (1837–1917), b. Montpelier, Vt., promoted March 1899.

Fleet Admiral (Five-Stars)

  • William Daniel Leahy (1875–1959), b. Hampton, Iowa, promoted Dec. 1944.Ernest Joseph King (1878–1956), b. Lorain, Ohio, promoted Dec. 1944.Chester William Nimitz (1885–1966), b. Fredericksburg, Tex., promoted Dec. 1944.William Frederick Halsey (1882–1959), b. Elizabeth, N.J., promoted Dec. 1945.

  1. On March 15, 1978, George Washington was promoted posthumously to the rank of General of the Armies of the United States—which had been created in 1919—to make it clear that Washington was the army’s senior general.

  2. General Pershing was given the option of five stars but he declined. Source: Department of Defense and U.S. Army Historian, Research and Analysis Center.

Military Personnel

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General George Washinton. Source: Library of Congress.

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Biographies: U.S. Military Leaders

  • Biographies: U.S. Military Leaders

TrendingHere are the facts and trivia that people are buzzing about.

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TrendingHere are the facts and trivia that people are buzzing about.

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Current Events This Week: January 2023

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Andersen’s Fairy Tales: Contents

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  • Did Birds Evolve from Dinosaurs?
  • The Twelve Dancing Princesses
  • Current Events This Week: January 2023
  • African Americans by the Numbers
  • Andersen’s Fairy Tales: Contents
  • The Celtic Twilight: A Teller of Tales