List of United States Navy four-star admirals
# Name Date of rank Position Yrs Commission YC Notes
1 David G. Farragut 25 Jul 1866 Admiral of the Navy , 1866-1870 . Commander , European Squadron , 1867-1868 4 1810 ( warrant ) 56 ( 1801-1870 ) Brother-by-adoption of Navy four-star admiral David D. Porter Jr
2 David D. Porter Jr 15 Aug 1870 Admiral of the Navy , 1870-1891 . Head , Board of Inspection , 1877-1891 21 1829 ( warrant ) 41 ( 1813-1891 ) Superintendent , U.S . Naval Academy , 1865-1869 . Brother-by-adoption of Navy four-star admiral David G. Farragut
3 George Dewey 02 Mar 1899 Commander , Asiatic Station , 1898-1899 . President , General Board of the Navy , 1900-1917 18 1858 ( USNA ) 41 ( 1837-1917 ) Promoted to The Admiral of the Navy , 24 Mar 1903 , with date of rank 02 Mar 1899 . Candidate for Democratic Party nomination for U.S. President , 1900
4 Frank F. Fletcher 10 Mar 1915 Commander in Chief , U.S. Atlantic Fleet ( CINCLANT ) , 1914-1916 2 1875 ( USNA ) 40 ( 1855-1928 ) Awarded Medal of Honor , 1914 . Uncle of Navy four-star admiral Frank J. Fletcher
5 Thomas B. Howard 11 Mar 1915 Commander in Chief , U.S. Pacific Fleet ( CINCPAC ) , 1914-1915 1 1873 ( USNA ) 42 ( 1854-1920 ) Superintendent , U.S . Naval Observatory , 1917-1919
6 Walter C. Cowles 12 Mar 1915 Commander in Chief , U.S. Asiatic Fleet ( CINCAF ) , 1914-1915 1 1873 ( USNA ) 42 ( 1853-1917 )
7 Albert G. Winterhalter 09 Jul 1915 Commander in Chief , U.S. Asiatic Fleet ( CINCAF ) , 1915-1917 2 1877 ( USNA ) 38 ( 1856-1920 )
8 Cameron M. Winslow 13 Sep 1915 Commander in Chief , U.S. Pacific Fleet ( CINCPAC ) , 1915-1916 1 1875 ( USNA ) 40 ( 1854-1932 )
9 Henry T. Mayo 19 Jun 1916 Commander in Chief , U.S. Atlantic Fleet ( CINCLANT ) , 1916-1919 . Commander in Chief , U.S. Fleet ( CINCUS ) , 1919 3 1876 ( USNA ) 41 ( 1857-1937 ) Governor , U.S . Naval Home , 1924-1928
10 William B. Caperton 28 Jul 1916 Commander in Chief , U.S. Pacific Fleet ( CINCPAC ) , 1916-1919 3 1875 ( USNA ) 41 ( 1855-1941 ) Special Representative of the President in Brazil , 1918
11 William S. Benson 29 Aug 1916 Chief of Naval Operations ( CNO ) , 1915-1919 3 1877 ( USNA ) 39 ( 1855-1932 ) Chairman/Commissioner , U.S . Shipping Board , 1919-1928
12 Austin M. Knight 04 Apr 1917 Commander in Chief , U.S. Asiatic Fleet ( CINCAF ) , 1917-1918 1 1873 ( USNA ) 44 ( 1854-1927 ) Brother of Seattle Mayor Bertha Knight Landes
13 William S. Sims 04 Dec 1918 Commander , U.S . Naval Forces in European Waters , 1917-1919 2 1880 ( USNA ) 38 ( 1858-1936 ) Awarded Pulitzer Prize for History , 1921
14 Henry B. Wilson Jr 30 Jun 1919 Commander in Chief , U.S. Atlantic Fleet ( CINCLANT ) , 1919-1921 2 1881 ( USNA ) 38 ( 1861-1954 ) Superintendent , U.S . Naval Academy , 1921-1925 . Father-in-law of U.S. Secretary of War Patrick J. Hurley
15 Hugh Rodman 01 Jul 1919 Commander in Chief , U.S. Pacific Fleet ( CINCPAC ) , 1919-1921 2 1880 ( USNA ) 39 ( 1859-1940 ) U.S. Minister and Envoy to Peru , 1921
16 Albert Gleaves 01 Sep 1919 Commander in Chief , U.S. Asiatic Fleet ( CINCAF ) , 1919-1921 2 1877 ( USNA ) 42 ( 1858-1937 ) Governor , U.S . Naval Home , 1928-1931
17 Robert E. Coontz 01 Nov 1919 Chief of Naval Operations ( CNO ) , 1919-1923 . Commander in Chief , U.S. Fleet ( CINCUS ) , 1923-1925 6 1885 ( USNA ) 34 ( 1864-1935 ) Governor of Guam , 1912-1913
18 Joseph Strauss 04 Feb 1921 Commander in Chief , U.S. Asiatic Fleet ( CINCAF ) , 1921-1922 1 1885 ( USNA ) 36 ( 1861-1948 )
19 Hilary P. Jones 30 Jun 1921 Commander in Chief , U.S. Atlantic Fleet ( CINCLANT ) , 1921-1922 . Commander in Chief , U.S. Fleet ( CINCUS ) , 1922-1923 2 1884 ( USNA ) 37 ( 1865-1939 )
20 Edward W. Eberle 05 Jul 1921 Commander in Chief , U.S. Pacific Fleet ( CINCPAC ) , 1921 . Commander in Chief , U.S. Battle Fleet ( COMBATFLT ) , 1921-1923 . Chief of Naval Operations ( CNO ) , 1923-1927 6 1885 ( USNA ) 36 ( 1864-1929 ) Superintendent , U.S . Naval Academy , 1915-1919
List of admirals
The list is sortable by last name , date of rank , number of years of active-duty service at four-star rank , year commissioned , and number of years in commission when promoted to four-star rank .
This is a complete list of four-star admirals in the United States Navy. The rank of admiral (or full admiral, or four-star admiral) is the highest rank normally achievable in the U.S. Navy. It ranks above vice admiral (three-star admiral) and below fleet admiral (five-star admiral). There have been 270 four-star admirals in the history of the U.S. Navy. Of these, 229 achieved that rank while on active duty, 40 were promoted upon retirement in recognition of combat citations, and one was promoted posthumously. Admirals entered the Navy via several paths: 235 were commissioned via the U.S. Naval Academy (USNA), 20 via Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC), 8 via Officer Candidate School (OCS), 2 via warrant, 2 via Aviation Officer Candidate School (AOCS), one via direct commission (direct), one via the Naval Aviation Cadet (NAVCAD) program, and one via the U.S. Merchant Marine.