When Congress approved a bill to create the rank of Fleet Admiral in 1944,[1][non-primary source needed] the Navy wanted to re-establish and elevate Admiral of the Navy to be equivalent to General of the Armies, [2][non-primary source needed] which requires an Act of Congress.
[4] And while they held to the belief that it was equivalent to General of the Armies,[4] the Navy amended its regulations to establish fleet admiral as its highest achievable rank, adhering to the standard set by the law.
[4] On 21 January 1955, a draft resolution was proposed to the U.S. Senate to authorize President Dwight D. Eisenhower to appoint Douglas MacArthur, then a five-star General of the Army, to be elevated to the "six-star rank" of General of the Armies of the United States "in recognition of the great services to his country", with "such appointment to take effect as of the seventy-fifth anniversary of his birth, 26 January 1955.
The markings used to identify Pershing's new ranking as higher than general was a bank of four gold (rather than silver) stars.
Bicentennial, George Washington was posthumously promoted to the rank of General of the Armies of the United States.