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List of United States Marine Corps four-star generals

The rank of general (or full general, or four-star general) is the highest rank in the United States Marine Corps. It ranks above lieutenant general (three-star general).

Flag of a Marine Corps
four-star general

There have been 75 four-star generals in the history of the U.S. Marine Corps. Of these, 57 achieved that rank while on active duty, 17 were promoted upon retirement in recognition of combat citations (1942–1959), and one was promoted posthumously. Generals entered the Marine Corps via several paths: 30 via Officer Candidates School (OCS), 25 via Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) at a civilian university, 10 via the United States Naval Academy (USNA), seven via ROTC at a senior military college, and three via Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) at a civilian university.

List of generals

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Entries in the following list of four-star generals are indexed by the numerical order in which each officer was promoted to that rank while on active duty, or by an asterisk (*) if the officer did not serve in that rank while on active duty. Each entry lists the general's name, date of rank,[1] active-duty positions held while serving at four-star rank,[2] number of years of active-duty service at four-star rank (Yrs),[3] year commissioned and source of commission,[4] number of years in commission when promoted to four-star rank (YC),[5] and other biographical notes.[6]

# Name Photo Date of rank[1] Position Yrs[3] Commission[4] YC[5] Notes
1 Alexander A. Vandegrift   21 Mar 1945   2 1909 (OCS) 36 (1887–1973) Awarded Medal of Honor, 1942.
* Roy S. Geiger   23 Jan 1947  
  • (posthumous)
 0 1909 (OCS) 38 (1885–1947)[7]
2 Clifton B. Cates   1 Jan 1948   4 1917 (OCS) 31 (1893–1970)[8]
3 Lemuel C. Shepherd Jr.   1 Jan 1952   7 1917 (VMI) 35 (1896–1990)[9]
4 Randolph M. Pate   1 Jan 1956   4 1921 (VMI) 35 (1898–1961)
5 David M. Shoup   1 Jan 1960   4 1926 (ROTC) 34 (1904–1983) Awarded Medal of Honor, 1943.
6 Wallace M. Greene Jr.   1 Jan 1964   4 1930 (USNA) 34 (1907–2003)
7 Leonard F. Chapman Jr.   1 Jan 1968   4 1935 (NROTC) 33 (1913–2000) U.S. Commissioner of Immigration and Naturalization, 1973–1977.
8 Lewis W. Walt   2 Jun 1969   2 1936 (ROTC) 33 (1913–1989)
9 Raymond G. Davis   12 Mar 1971   1 1938 (ROTC) 33 (1915–2003) Awarded Medal of Honor, 1950.
10 Keith B. McCutcheon   1 Jul 1971   0 1937 (ROTC) 34 (1915–1971)[10]
11 Robert E. Cushman Jr.   1 Jan 1972   4 1935 (USNA) 37 (1914–1985) Deputy Director of Central Intelligence, 1969–1971.
12 Earl E. Anderson   31 Mar 1972   3 1940 (NROTC) 32 (1919–2015)
13 Louis H. Wilson Jr.   1 Jul 1975   4 1941 (OCS) 34 (1920–2005) Awarded Medal of Honor, 1944.
14 Samuel Jaskilka   4 Mar 1976   3 1942 (OCS) 34 (1919–2012)
15 Robert H. Barrow   1 Jul 1978   5 1942 (OCS) 36 (1922–2008)
16 Kenneth McLennan   2 Jul 1979   3 1945 (OCS) 34 (1925–2005)
17 Paul X. Kelley   1 Jul 1981   6 1950 (NROTC) 31 (1928–2019) Chairman, American Battle Monuments Commission, 1991–1994, 2001–2005.
18 John K. Davis   1 Jul 1983   3 1950 (NROTC) 33 (1927–2019)
19 George B. Crist   22 Nov 1985   3 1952 (NROTC) 33 (1931–2024)
20 Thomas R. Morgan   1 Jun 1986   2 1952 (NROTC) 34 (1930–       )
21 Alfred M. Gray Jr.   1 Jul 1987   4 1952 (OCS) 35 (1928–2024)
22 Joseph J. Went   1 Jul 1988   2 1952 (NROTC) 36 (1930–       )
23 John R. Dailey   1 Aug 1990   3 1956 (NROTC) 34 (1934–       ) Associate Deputy Administrator, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 1992–1999; Director, National Air and Space Museum, 2000–2018.
24 Carl E. Mundy Jr.   1 Jul 1991   4 1957 (NROTC) 34 (1935–2014) President, United Service Organizations, 1996–2000.
25 Joseph P. Hoar   1 Sep 1991   3 1957 (NROTC) 34 (1934–2022)
26 Walter E. Boomer   1 Sep 1992   2 1960 (NROTC) 32 (1938–       )
27 Richard D. Hearney   15 Jul 1994   2 1962 (OCS) 32 (1939–       )
28 John J. Sheehan   31 Oct 1994   3 1962 (NROTC) 32 (1940–       )
29 Charles C. Krulak   29 Jun 1995   4 1964 (USNA) 31 (1942–       ) President, Birmingham–Southern College, 2011–2015. Son of Marine Corps lieutenant general Victor H. Krulak.
30 Richard I. Neal   19 Sep 1996   2 1965 (NROTC) 31 (1942–2022)
31 Anthony C. Zinni   8 Aug 1997   3 1965 (NROTC) 32 (1943–       ) U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East, 2002–2003; U.S. Special Envoy to Qatar, 2017–2019.
32 Charles E. Wilhelm   25 Sep 1997   3 1964 (NROTC) 33 (1941–       )
33 Terrence R. Dake   5 Sep 1998   2 1966 (OCS) 32 (1944–       )
34 James L. Jones   30 Jun 1999   7 1967 (NROTC) 32 (1943–       ) National Security Advisor, 2009–2010.
35 Peter Pace   8 Sep 2000   7 1967 (USNA) 33 (1945–       ) Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom, 2008.
36 Carlton W. Fulford Jr.   1 Oct 2000   2 1966 (USNA) 34 (1944–       )
37 Michael J. Williams   1 Nov 2000   2 1967 (USNA) 33 (1943–       )
38 William L. Nyland   4 Sep 2002   3 1968 (NROTC) 34 (1946–       )
39 Michael W. Hagee   14 Jan 2003   3 1968 (USNA) 35 (1944–       )
40 James E. Cartwright   1 Sep 2004   7 1971 (NROTC) 33 (1949–       )
41 Robert Magnus   1 Nov 2005   3 1969 (NROTC) 36 (1947–       )
42 James T. Conway   13 Nov 2006   4 1970 (OCS) 36 (1947–       )
43 James N. Mattis   9 Nov 2007   6 1972 (ROTC) 35 (1950–       ) U.S. Secretary of Defense, 2017–2019.
44 James F. Amos   2 Jul 2008   6 1970 (NROTC) 38 (1946–       ) First naval aviator to become commandant.
45 Joseph F. Dunford Jr.   23 Oct 2010   9 1977 (OCS) 33 (1955–       )
46 John R. Allen   18 Jul 2011   2 1976 (USNA) 35 (1953–       ) Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, 2014–2015; President, Brookings Institution, 2017–2022.
47 John F. Kelly   19 Nov 2012   3 1976 (OCS) 36 (1950–       ) U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, 2017; White House Chief of Staff, 2017–2019.
48 John M. Paxton Jr.   15 Dec 2012   4 1974 (OCS) 38 (1951–       )
49 Robert B. Neller   24 Sep 2015   4 1975 (OCS) 40 (1953–       )
50 Thomas D. Waldhauser   18 Jul 2016   3 1976 (OCS) 40 (1953–       )
51 Glenn M. Walters   2 Aug 2016   2 1979 (Citadel) 37 (1957–       ) President, The Citadel, 2018–present.
52 Gary L. Thomas   4 Oct 2018   3 1984 (NROTC) 34 (1962–       )
53 Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr.   28 Mar 2019   3 1979 (Citadel) 40 (1957–       )
54 David H. Berger   11 Jul 2019   4 1981 (NROTC) 38 (1959–       )
55 Eric M. Smith   8 Oct 2021   3 1987 (Texas A&M) 34 (c. 1965–       )
56 Michael E. Langley   6 Aug 2022   2 1985 (OCS) 37 (c. 1963–       ) First African-American to achieve the rank of general in the Marine Corps.
57 Christopher J. Mahoney   2 Nov 2023   1 1987 (NROTC) 36

Tombstone generals

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The Act of Congress of March 4, 1925, allowed officers in the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard to be promoted one grade upon retirement if they had been specially commended for performance of duty in actual combat. Combat citation promotions were colloquially known as "tombstone promotions" because they conferred all the perks and prestige of the higher rank including the loftier title on their tombstones but no additional retirement pay. The Act of Congress of February 23, 1942, enabled tombstone promotions to three- and four-star grades. Tombstone promotions were subsequently restricted to citations issued before January 1, 1947, and finally eliminated altogether effective November 1, 1959. The practice was terminated in an effort to encourage senior officer retirements prior to the effective date of the change to relieve an overstrength in the senior ranks.

Any general who actually served in a grade while on active duty receives precedence on the retirement list over any tombstone general holding the same retired grade. Tombstone generals rank among each other according to the dates of their highest active duty grade.

Name Photo Date of rank (LGEN) Date retired Commission [4] Notes
1 Thomas Holcomb   20 Jan 1942   Jan 1944   1900 (OCS) (1879–1965) U.S. Minister to South Africa, 1944–1948.
2 Holland M. Smith   28 Feb 1944   May 1946   1905 (OCS) (1882–1967)
3 Harry Schmidt   1 Mar 1946   Jul 1948   1909 (OCS) (1886–1968)
4 Allen H. Turnage   4 Oct 1946   Jan 1948   1913 (OCS) (1891–1971)
5 LeRoy P. Hunt   1 Jul 1949   Jul 1951   1917 (OCS) (1892–1968)
6 Franklin A. Hart   22 Feb 1951   Aug 1952   1917 (OCS) (1894–1967)
7 Graves B. Erskine   2 Jul 1951   Jul 1953   1917 (OCS) (1897–1973) Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Special Operations, 1953–1961.
8 Gerald C. Thomas   8 Mar 1952   Jan 1956   1917 (OCS) (1894–1984)
9 Oliver P. Smith   23 Jul 1953   Sep 1955   1917 (OCS) (1893–1977)
10 William O. Brice   28 Aug 1953   1956   1921 (Citadel) (1898–1972)
11 Christian F. Schilt   1 Aug 1955   Apr 1957   1919 (OCS) (1895–1987) Awarded Medal of Honor, 1928.
12 Alfred H. Noble   1 Aug 1955   Nov 1956   1917 (OCS) (1894–1983)
13 Vernon E. Megee   1 Jan 1956   Nov 1959   1922 (OCS) (1900–1992)
14 Edwin A. Pollock   1 Jan 1956   Nov 1959   1921 (Citadel) (1899–1982)
15 Merrill B. Twining   12 Sep 1956   Oct 1959   1923 (USNA) (1902–1996) Brother of Air Force four-star general Nathan F. Twining.
16 Ray A. Robinson   1 Nov 1956   Nov 1957   1917 (OCS) (1896–1976)
17 Robert E. Hogaboom   1 Dec 1957   Oct 1959   1925 (USNA) (1902–1993)

History

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Four-star positions

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Structure of the United States Marine Corpsfederal government of the United Statescombined operationsUnified combatant commandUnified combatant commandUnified combatant commandJoint Chiefs of StaffIraq WarWar in Afghanistan (2001–2021)Gulf WarVietnam WarKorean WarCold WarWorld War II

1945–present

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By the Act of March 21, 1945, Congress permitted the President to appoint the Commandant of the Marine Corps to the grade of general. Alexander Vandegrift, then Commandant, was promoted from lieutenant general to general on April 4, 1945, to rank from March 21 of that year. He thus became the first Marine to serve in the grade of general. The Office of the Commandant was permanently fixed at the grade of four-star general under authority of the Act of August 7, 1947. All Commandants since that date have been entitled by law to serve in the grade of general and, in accordance with the provisions of 10 U.S.C. § 5201, to retire in that grade.

In April 1969, the Senate passed and sent a bill to the White House that makes the Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps a four-star general when the active duty strength of the Marine Corps exceeds 200,000. On May 5, 1969, President Richard Nixon signed the bill, and Lieutenant General Lewis William Walt was promoted to that rank on June 2, 1969, thus becoming the first Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps to attain four-star rank. Legislation allowing the Assistant Commandant to wear the four-star insignia regardless of the strength of the Marine Corps was approved by President Gerald Ford on March 4, 1976.

On November 22, 1985, General George B. Crist was promoted to four-star rank and on November 27, he assumed the position of Commander in Chief of U.S. Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. His appointment marked the first time a Marine headed a unified command and the first time the Corps had three four-star generals on active duty at the same time. Since 1985, a number of Marines have served in joint positions holding four-star rank, and it is no longer uncommon for the Corps to have four or five four-star generals on active duty at the same time.

In 2005, General Peter Pace became the first Marine to be appointed as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the chief military advisor to the President of the United States and most senior appointment in the United States armed forces. Previously, in 2001, General Pace was the first Marine officer to be appointed as Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (VJCS).

The standard tour length for the commandant (CMC) is four years; two years for the assistant commandant (ACMC); for a combatant commander, three years; and a total of four years served in consecutive two-year terms for the chairman and vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS/VJCS).

Christopher J. MahoneyMichael LangleyEric Smith (general)David H. BergerKenneth F. McKenzie Jr.Gary L. Thomas (general)Glenn M. WaltersThomas D. WaldhauserRobert NellerJohn M. Paxton, Jr.John F. Kelly (Marine)John R. AllenJoseph F. Dunford Jr.James F. AmosJames N. MattisJames T. ConwayRobert MagnusJames E. CartwrightMichael W. HageeWilliam L. NylandMichael J. WilliamsCarlton W. Fulford Jr.Peter PaceJames L. JonesTerrence R. DakeCharles E. WilhelmAnthony C. ZinniRichard I. NealCharles C. KrulakJohn J. SheehanRichard D. HearneyWalter E. BoomerJoseph P. HoarCarl E. Mundy Jr.John R. DaileyJoseph J. WentAlfred M. Gray, Jr.Thomas R. MorganGeorge B. CristJohn K. DavisPaul X. KelleyKenneth McLennanRobert H. BarrowSamuel JaskilkaLouis H. Wilson Jr.Earl E. AndersonRobert E. Cushman Jr.Raymond G. DavisKeith B. McCutcheonLewis W. WaltLeonard F. Chapman Jr.Wallace M. Greene Jr.David M. ShoupGerald C. ThomasRandolph M. PateLemuel C. Shepherd Jr.Clifton B. CatesAlexander A. VandegriftIraq WarWar in Afghanistan (2001–2021)Gulf WarVietnam WarKorean WarCold WarWorld War II

Legislation

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Further information: Legislative history of United States four-star officers

The following list of Congressional legislation includes major acts of Congress pertaining to appointments to the grade of general in the United States Marine Corps.

Legislation Citation Summary
Act of March 21, 1945  59 Stat. 36
  • Authorized one grade of general, appointed from officers serving now or hereafter as commandant of the Marine Corps, until six months after the end of World War II (Alexander A. Vandegrift) [made permanent in 1946 (60 Stat. 59)].
Act of August 7, 1947

[Officer Personnel Act of 1947]

 61 Stat. 874
 61 Stat. 880
  • Increased rank of commandant to general.
  • Authorized all Marine Corps officers to retire with the rank but not the pay of the next higher grade if specially commended for performance of duty in actual combat on or before December 31, 1946 [repealed in 1959 (73 Stat. 337)].
Act of May 2, 1969  83 Stat. 8
  • Authorized grade of general for assistant commandant of the Marine Corps if total active duty strength of Marine Corps exceeds 200,000 at time of appointment [strength requirement repealed in 1976 (90 Stat. 202)].
Act of December 12, 1980

[Defense Officer Personnel Management Act]

 94 Stat. 2844
 94 Stat. 2849
 94 Stat. 2876
  • Authorized president to designate positions of importance and responsibility to carry the grade of general, to be assigned from officers on active duty in any grade above colonel, subject to Senate confirmation, who revert to their permanent grade at the end of their assignment unless it was terminated by
    1. assignment to another position designated to carry the same grade,
    2. up to 180 days of hospitalization, or
    3. up to 90 days prior to retirement [reduced to 60 days in 1991 (105 Stat. 1354)].
  • Capped, except during war or national emergency, Marine Corps officers in grades above major general at 15 percent of all general officers on active duty.
  • Authorized three- and four-star officers to retire in the highest grade held on active duty, at the discretion of the president and subject to confirmation by the Senate, with no time-in-grade requirement [changed in 1996 to certification by secretary of defense and three-year time-in-grade requirement (110 Stat. 292)].
Act of October 28, 2009  123 Stat. 2273
 123 Stat. 2276
  • Capped Marine Corps officers in the grade of general at 2, exempting up to 20 generals assigned to joint duty [joint-duty cap repealed in 2016, effective December 31, 2022 (130 Stat. 2100), and lowered in 2021 to 19 (134 Stat. 3563)].

See also

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Generals of the United States Marine Corps.

References

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  1. ^ a b Dates of rank are taken, where available, from the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps register of active and retired commissioned officers, or from the World Almanac and Book of Facts.
  2. ^ Positions listed are those held by the officer when promoted to general. Dates listed are for the officer's full tenure, which may predate promotion to four-star rank or postdate retirement from active duty.
  3. ^ a b The number of years of active-duty service at four-star rank is approximated by subtracting the year in the "Date of rank" column from the last year in the "Position" column.
  4. ^ a b c Sources of commission are listed in parentheses after the year of commission and include: the Officer Candidates School (OCS); the United States Naval Academy (USNA); Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) at a civilian university; Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) at a civilian university; and ROTC at a senior military college such as the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) or The Citadel (Citadel).
  5. ^ a b The number of years in commission before being promoted to four-star rank is approximated by subtracting the year in the "Commission" column from the year in the "Date of rank" column.
  6. ^ Notes include years of birth and death; awards of the Medal of Honor, Congressional Gold Medal, Presidential Medal of Freedom, or honors of similar significance; major government appointments; university presidencies or equivalents; familial relationships with other four-star officers or significant government officials such as U.S. Presidents, cabinet secretaries, U.S. Senators, or state governors; and unusual career events such as premature relief or death in office.
  7. ^ Posthumously promoted to general by Act of Congress, Jun 1947, with date of rank 23 Jan 1947.
  8. ^ Reverted to lieutenant general, Jan 1952; retired as general, Jun 1954.
  9. ^ Retired as general, Jan 1956; recalled as general, Mar 1956.
  10. ^ Unable to assume post due to ill health; promoted and placed on retired list as general by Act of Congress, 1 Jul 1971; died 13 Jul 1971.

Bibliography

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  This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Marine Corps.

  • United States Marine Corps History Division, Who's Who in Marine Corps History, archived from the original on 2007-02-19, retrieved 2012-11-15
  • United States Marine Corps Manpower & Reserve Affairs, Biographies: General Officers & Senior Executives, archived from the original on 2013-05-12
  • United States Marine Corps Officer Candidates School, History of Officer Candidates School, archived from the original on 2007-02-05
  • U.S. Bureau of Naval Personnel (1950–1959), Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps, Washington D.C.: Department of the Navy
  • "Generals' Exodus", TIME Magazine, September 7, 1959, archived from the original on October 28, 2007
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