Claudia Kennedy Claudia Jean Kennedy ( born July 14 , 1947 ) is a retired lieutenant general in the United States Army . She is the first female to reach the rank of three - star general in the U . S . Army . She retired in 2000 after 31 years of military service . Early life . Claudia Kennedy was born on July 14 , 1947 in Frankfurt , Germany . She attended Southwestern at Memphis ( now Rhodes College ) , where she became a member of Kappa Delta Sorority and earned a bachelor ' s degree in philosophy in 1969 . She was commissioned a second lieutenant in the United States Army in June 1969 . Military career . After receiving her commission in 1969 , Kennedy served two tours in Germany and one tour in South Korea and focused much of her military career in the fields of intelligence and cryptology . On May 21 , 1997 , Kennedy became the first woman in the U . S . Army to hold a three - star rank . ( U . S . Air Force Lt Gen Leslie F . Kenne , U . S . Navy Vice Admiral Patricia Tracey , U . S . Coast Guard VADM Vivien Crea and U . S . Marine Corps LtGen Carol Mutter held equal ranks in other branches of the military . ) She was named Army Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence . Kennedy is a member of the Military Intelligence Hall of Fame . Accusation against another general . In 1999 , General Kennedy made a sexual harassment claim against fellow officer Major General Larry Smith , stemming from an incident in 1996 when she was a major general and he was a brigadier general . Kennedy made the accusation after Smith was slated for promotion to the position of Army deputy Inspector General , the position responsible for investigation of sexual harassment claims . Kennedy claimed that Smith had attempted to grope and kiss her ; Smith ' s appointment to the inspector general ' s office was later withdrawn . In 2000 , an inquiry by the United States Army ' s inspector general concluded that Lt . Gen . Kennedy was a victim of inappropriate sexual advances from General Smith . Awards and decorations . Kennedy ' s awards include the Legion of Merit ( three Oak Leaf Clusters ) , the Defense Meritorious Service Medal , the Meritorious Service Medal ( three Oak Leaf Clusters ) , the Army Commendation Medal ( three Oak Leaf Clusters ) , and the Army Staff Identification Badge . After retirement . Kennedy retired from the military in June 2000 after 31 years . During the 2000 U . S . presidential election , Kennedy was critical of George W . Bush ' s proposed military policies , especially as they related to the status of women in the armed forces . According to General Kennedy : " If Mr . Bush becomes president , his campaign platform says he will move us back to a much earlier time . " In other matters of military policy , it has been reported that Kennedy opposed the now repealed " Don ' t ask , don ' t tell " policy . In 2002 , Democrats actively sought to recruit Gen . Kennedy to challenge U . S . Senator John Warner , a Republican from Virginia . Kennedy passed on the race . Kennedy endorsed Senator John Kerry for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination in September 2003 , and served as an advisor to the Kerry campaign . She sometimes was mentioned as a possible nominee for Secretary of Defense in a Kerry administration . She endorsed military veteran candidates Eric Massa and Patrick Murphy in 2006 . In 2007 and 2008 she endorsed Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and Senator Barack Obama in their respective campaigns for the presidency . She was discussed as a potential vice presidential choice for the Democratic presidential nominee , Barack Obama . In June 2010 , she was appointed as chairwoman of the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services , a committee which is appointed by the United States Secretary of Defense and which reports to the United States Department of Defense . General Kennedy is currently serving as co - chair of the Platform Committee of the 2012 Democratic National Convention .