Who was the first U.S. Army officer to hold the rank of "General of the Armies"?

John J. Pershing was promoted to "General of the Armies" in 1919 for his service in the First World War as the commander of the American Expeditionary Force. The insignia designed by Pershing was 4 gold stars, differing from the 4 silver stars of a full general. The term "General of the Armies" was phrased to be differentiated from the rank of "General of the Army" held by army commanders after the Civil War. After the death of Philip Sheridan, the last post-Civil War "General of the Army", that rank was discontinued

During World War II, the Army re-introduced the rank of "General of the Army" with the intent of several officers holding the rank, rather than a single person as in the case of the post-Civil War army commander. This new rank was established as an actual 5-star rank. A problem arose if Pershing's rank would be equal or superior to this new designation. The Army deemed Pershing was superior only by seniority, rather than holding a higher rank.

The second person with the rank "General of the Armies" was George Washington. He had retired from the army as a lieutenant general, with the ranks developed after the Civil War, World Wars I and II all out ranking him. Congress rectified the issue by promoting George Washington to "General of the Armies" posthumously in 1976 and specifying "that no officer of the United States armed forces should ever outrank George Washington."