George Washington received a posthumous appointment as General of the Armies during the 1976 United States Bicentennial.
Congress passed Public Law 94-479 in 1976, granting Washington the rank of General of the Armies of the United States, effective July 4, 1976. The action ensured that no U.S. military officer would outrank him in the historical hierarchy.
Washington had already served as commander in chief of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War and later became the first president of the United States. His 1976 appointment connected the Bicentennial’s military and political commemorations to the revolutionary generation.
This fact concerns the earlier 200th-anniversary celebration, not a new military promotion created for America250. Washington’s rank is also distinct from the five-star general rank held by several 20th-century officers.