General of The Salvation Army

General of The Salvation Army
Incumbent André Cox since 3 August 2013
Style	General
Residence	London, United Kingdom
Appointer	High Council Elected by the High Council of The Salvation Army by secret ballot
Term length	Unlimited But must be under 70 years old
Inaugural holder	William Booth 1878

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General is the title of the international leader of The Salvation Army, a Christian denomination with extensive charitable social services that gives quasi-military rank to its ministers (who are therefore known as officers). André Cox is currently the General of The Salvation Army; Chief of the Staff of The Salvation Army William A. Roberts, however, has been serving as Acting General since 5 January 2015 as Cox recovers from surgery. ^[1]

History and procedures for election

1st General, William Booth

Usage of the term General began with the Founder of The Salvation Army, William Booth. His wife, Catherine Booth, became known as the "Mother" of The Salvation Army. General Booth passed on the command to his eldest son, Bramwell Booth, but all Generals after Bramwell Booth have been elected.

The office of General is not restricted by gender. Evangeline Booth, William's daughter, was elected fourth General of the Army, and Eva Burrows was elected the thirteenth General. On January 31, 2011 Commissioner Linda Bond, a Canadian national, was named General-Elect of The Salvation Army and assumed office on April 2, 2011 following the retirement of General Shaw Clifton.

The Officer of The Salvation Army who is elected General is the worldwide spiritual leader of The Salvation Army. Since The Salvation Army maintains a quasi-military structure, all appointments are made, and all regulations issued, under the General's authority. Since the results of the 1929 High Council, and with the passage of The Salvation Army Act in the British Parliament in 1931, a General must "retire" at age 70. As of March 20, 2015, there are 5 retired Generals still living.

The General is elected by the High Council when his or her predecessor is removed by the High Council, retires or dies (known within the Salvation Army as being promoted to Glory) while still in office. The High Council is made up of the Chief of the Staff, all active commissioners, except the spouse of the General, and all territorial commanders.

The 2006 High Council was held in Sunbury near London, England, from January 20 to January 28, 2006. The High Council elected Shaw Clifton who took office of the General after General Larsson retired on April 2, 2006.

On January 31, 2011, after 10 days of meetings which began on January 21, 2011, the 17th High Council elected Linda Bond as the 19th General of The Salvation Army. General Linda Bond is the third woman to hold the post and the fourth Canadian. This election was handled by the largest High Council in history and was especially significant due to the number of women delegates (57) outnumbering the number of men delegates (52).^[2]

On 3 August 2013 the then Commissioner Andre Cox was elected by the High Council of 2013 as the 20th General of The Salvation Army. ^[3]

Generals of The Salvation Army

No.	General	Took office	Left office	Born	Died
1st	William Booth	1865	1912	10 April 1829	20 August 1912
2nd	Bramwell Booth, CH	1912	1929	8 March 1856	16 June 1929
3rd	Edward Higgins	1929	1934	26 November 1864	14 December 1947
4th	Evangeline Booth, OF	1934	1939	25 December 1865	17 July 1950
5th	George Carpenter	1939	1946	20 June 1872	9 April 1948
6th	Albert Orsborn	1946	1954	4 September 1886	4 February 1967
7th	Wilfred Kitching, CBE	1954	1963	22 August 1893	15 December 1977
8th	Frederick Coutts, CBE	1963	1969	21 September 1899	6 February 1986
9th	Erik Wickberg	1969	1974	6 July 1904	26 April 1996
10th	Clarence Wiseman, OC	1974	1977	19 June 1907	4 May 1985
11th	Arnold Brown, OC	1977	1981	13 December 1913	26 June 2006
12th	Jarl Wahlström	1981	1986	9 July 1918	3 December 1999
13th	Eva Burrows, AC	1986	1993	15 September 1929	20 March 2015
14th	Bramwell Tillsley	July 1993	May 1994	18 August 1931
15th	(Dr.) Paul Rader	August 1994	July 1999	14 March 1934
16th	John Gowans	July 1999	September 2002	13 November 1934	8 December 2012
17th	John Larsson	September 2002	April 2006	2 April 1938
18th	Shaw Clifton	April 2006	April 2011	21 September 1945
19th	Linda Bond	2 April 2011	13 June 2013	22 June 1946
	Andre Cox Acting	13 June 2013	3 August 2013	12 July 1954
20th	Andre Cox	3 August 2013	Incumbent	12 July 1954

External links

• Website of the General

References