What rank did George Washington receive posthumously during the 1976 U.S. Bicentennial?

George Washington received the rank of General of the Armies posthumously during the 1976 U.S. Bicentennial.

Congress authorized the honor through Public Law 94-479, which declared that no United States Army officer should outrank Washington. The appointment was made effective July 4, 1976, the 200th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Washington had originally served as commander in chief of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War.

The honor concerned the rank General of the Armies, not the later five-star rank General of the Army. General of the Armies is a distinct and higher grade in the Army’s historical rank structure. John J. Pershing had previously received the rank in 1919, but Washington’s 1976 appointment placed him first among all Army officers, past and present.

The practical promotion order was issued in 1978 after questions arose about how the law should be implemented. That later paperwork does not change the effective date: Washington’s rank was made effective from July 4, 1976, linking the unusual military honor directly to the Bicentennial.