Which American founder received the title General of the Armies during the 1976 Bicentennial?

George Washington received the title General of the Armies during the 1976 Bicentennial.

Congress authorized Washington’s posthumous appointment as a commemorative honor. The law specified that he would rank first among all Army officers, past and present, making the title the highest possible rank in the United States Army.

Washington had commanded the Continental Army during the American Revolution and later served briefly as a lieutenant general in the United States Army. He died in 1799, long before the Bicentennial action.

The Army formally issued orders in 1978, with Washington’s effective date set retroactively as July 4, 1976. The rank is sometimes casually described as a six-star rank, but no six-star insignia was officially created. John J. Pershing had earlier received the same title in 1919, and Ulysses S. Grant was appointed posthumously in 2024.