Farragut approached the general-purpose destroyer by accident

Which class first became a true general-purpose destroyer?

Farragut came close almost accidentally; Charles F. Adams got there intentionally.

The distinction is one of design intent rather than a checklist of weapons. Farragut accumulated many of the capabilities associated with a general-purpose destroyer. Those features converged without the class being designed from the beginning around an integrated multi-mission concept. The Charles F. Adams class therefore marks the clearer threshold because its balanced combat role was deliberate rather than accidental.