General of the Armies
General of the Armies of the United States, more commonly referred to as General of the Armies, is the highest military rank in the United States. The rank has been conferred three times: to John J. Pershing in 1919, as a personal accolade for his command of the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I; to George Washington in 1976, as a posthumous honor during the United States Bicentennial celebrations; and to Ulysses S. Grant in December 2022, when Congress authorized the president to posthumously appoint him to the rank.[1][2][3]
Not to be confused with General of the Army (United States).
General of the Armies
of the United States
The grade is sometimes described as a six-star general, as being senior to the five-star grade of General of the Army, but no six-star insignia was ever officially created and Pershing, the only person to be General of the Armies during his own lifetime, never wore more than four stars.[4] Whether Pershing's grade should rank as four, five, or six stars has been a subject of debate ever since the five-star grades were created in 1944.[5] To make Washington unambiguously the highest ranking Army officer in 1976, Congress specified that his new grade of General of the Armies ranked above all other grades of the Army, past or present.[6]
The General of the Armies enjoyed several privileges not afforded to other generals, including a much higher salary and the right to retire at full pay and allowances. Even in retirement, Pershing—the only-ever living person with the rank—was the second-highest-paid official in the federal government, after only the president of the United States.[7]
Special privileges[edit]
Compensation[edit]
As General of the Armies, Pershing was paid much more than other generals. The 1919 law that promoted Pershing gave the General of the Armies the same annual pay of $13,500 (equivalent to $237,248 in 2023) that was set in 1870 for General William T. Sherman, plus $8,000 (equivalent to $140,591 in 2023) in allowances.[7]
All other generals fell under the Joint Service Pay Readjustment Act of 1922, which set the pay for a major general at $8,000 (equivalent to $145,622 in 2023). Higher ranks had the same pay as a major general plus a personal money allowance of $500 (equivalent to $9,101 in 2023) for a lieutenant general, $2,200 (equivalent to $40,046 in 2023) for a general, or $5,000 (equivalent to $91,014 in 2023) for a general of the Army.[69] Including food and housing, the annual compensation for a general of the Army in December 1944 was $14,951, versus $21,500 for the General of the Armies (respectively equivalent to $258,774 and $372,125 in 2023).[70]
Retirement[edit]
The General of the Armies retired with full pay and allowances, another benefit created for Sherman and inherited by Pershing, who continued to receive $21,500 for the rest of his life.[69] Even in retirement, he drew a higher annual compensation than any other official in the federal government except the president of the United States.[7]
Other generals retired at three-quarters pay and no allowances. When Army chief of staff Charles P. Summerall retired in 1931, his annual compensation fell to only $6,000, three-quarters of a major general's pay.[69]
Uniform[edit]
Starting in 1933, the General of the Armies was allowed to design his own uniform, as were current and former Army chiefs of staff.[67] Pershing used this authority to create the unique uniform he wore to the 1937 coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, styled after the full dress uniform introduced by the Army in 1902 but discontinued in 1917. Whereas the 1902 uniform portrayed the rank of a general officer by embroidering silver stars on each sleeve, Pershing's 1937 uniform sleeves bore four gold stars.[66] When Army chief of staff Malin Craig designed his own custom uniform in 1938, he returned to the usual silver stars.[67]
Pershing's estate donated his General of the Armies uniforms to the Smithsonian Institution,[71] including the 1921 service coat with four silver stars that he wore as Army chief of staff and the 1937 full dress coat with four gold stars that he wore to the coronation.