George Washington was posthumously appointed General of the Armies during the 1976 Bicentennial, a predecessor to America250.
Congress authorized the appointment through Public Law 94-479, signed in 1976, with an effective date of July 4, the Bicentennial anniversary. The law specified that Washington would rank first among all officers of the U.S. Army, past and present. The honor recognized his leadership as commander in chief of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War.
The title General of the Armies is distinct from the five-star rank of General of the Army. Washington had already held the nation’s highest military honor in historical memory, but the 1976 action formally placed him above all other American Army officers in precedence.
John J. Pershing is the other person associated with the title. He received it in 1919 after commanding the American Expeditionary Forces in World War I. Washington’s appointment was posthumous, while Pershing received his during his lifetime.