Which president was a five-star general before becoming president?

• A. Dwight D. Eisenhower
• B. George Washington
• C. Ulysses S. Grant
• D. Douglas MacArthur

Answer: (A)

The five-star General of the Army rank was a special wartime title created during World War II for the highest-level Army leaders. Dwight D. Eisenhower is the one who held that rank and then entered civilian leadership as president, making him the correct answer. Eisenhower served as Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, was promoted to five-star general in the later stages of the war, and later became the 34th President.

George Washington led American forces before such a rank existed, so he didn’t hold a five-star designation. Ulysses S. Grant was a pivotal Civil War general and later became president, but the five-star rank did not exist in his time. Douglas MacArthur did achieve five-star status, but he did not become president.