Everything about George Dewey totally explained
George Dewey (
December 26,
1837 –
January 16,
1917) was an
admiral of the
United States Navy, best known for his victory (without the loss of a single life of his own forces due to combat; one man died of heat stroke) at the
Battle of Manila Bay during the
Spanish-American War. He was also the only person in the history of the United States to have attained the rank of
Admiral of the Navy, the most senior rank in the United States Navy.
Early life and naval career
Dewey was born in
Montpelier, Vermont, attended
Norwich University for two years (1852-1854), and graduated from the
Naval Academy in 1858.
After graduation as a
midshipman he served aboard the
USS Wabash when she touched at her first port of call,
Gibraltar, on
17 August 1858.
Wabash returned to the
New York Navy Yard on
16 December 1859 and decommissioned there on
20 December 1859. He served as a lieutenant under Admiral
David Farragut in the
American Civil War, seeing action in
Louisiana and along the
Mississippi River. He attained the rank of
lieutenant commander in 1865.
Dewey remained in the Navy after the war and in 1896 was made a
Commodore. He was appointed to the command of the United States
Asiatic Squadron a few weeks before the start of the war with Cuba.
Spanish-American War
On
April 27,
1898, he sailed out from
China with orders to attack the
Spanish at
Manila Bay. He stopped at the mouth of the bay late the night of April 30, and the following morning he gave the order to attack at first light, by saying the now famous words "You may fire when you're ready,
Gridley." Within 6 hours, on May 1, he'd sunk or captured the entire Spanish Pacific fleet under Admiral
Patricio Montojo y Pasarón and silenced the shore batteries at
Manila, with the loss of only one life on the American side.
News of the victory in the
Battle of Manila Bay made Dewey a great hero in the United States, and Dewey was promoted to
Rear Admiral. Dewey's swift easy victory no doubt did much to encourage the
William McKinley administration in its decision to place the
Philippines under American control.
Dewey aided
General Wesley Merritt in taking formal possession of Manila on
August 13,
1898. In the early stages of the war the Americans were greatly aided by the Filipino nationalists led by
Emilio Aguinaldo who had been attacking the Spanish by land as Dewey was attacking them by sea. Dewey and Aguinaldo at first enjoyed a cordial relationship, and Dewey wrote that the Filipinos were “intelligent” and well "capable of self-government"; however the McKinley administration soon decided otherwise, and by the start of 1899, Dewey had to threaten to shell Aguinaldo's forces to allow American troops to land in Manila (for details, see
History of the Philippines).
Dewey returned to America to a hero's welcome, and by act of
Congress was made
Admiral of the Navy in
1899. A special
military decoration, the
Dewey Medal, was also named in his honor.
Dewey officially remained an active officer of the Navy until his death, as a special honor after he passed
retirement age. He published his autobiography in 1913. Admiral George Dewey died in
Washington, D.C., still on active duty, while serving as President of the Navy Board.
Dewey as Presidential Candidate
After Dewey's return from the Spanish-American War, many suggested he run for
President of the United States on the
Democratic ticket. However, his candidacy was plagued by public relations missteps. Newspapers started attacking him as naïve after he was quoted as saying the job of president would be easy since the chief executive was merely following orders in executing the laws enacted by Congress and that he'd "execute the laws of Congress as faithfully as I've always executed the orders of my superiors." Shortly thereafter he admitted to never having voted in a presidential election. He drew yet more criticism when he offhandedly told a newspaper reporter that "Our next war will be with Germany."
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Dewey also angered some
Protestants by marrying
Catholic Mildred McLean Hazen (the widow of General
William Babcock Hazen and daughter of
Washington McLean, the former owner of
The Washington Post) in November 1899 and giving her the house that the nation had given him following the war.
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Dewey withdrew from the race in mid-May and endorsed
William McKinley.
Dates of Rank
In the era of the Civil War, it was a common practice for officers to be granted shipboard commissions based on the need to fill certain jobs or billets. Dewey was therefore made a Lieutenant once he "signed on" with David Farragut. He never held the rank of Ensign and skipped the rank of Lieutenant Junior Grade (which in the 1860s was known as "Master").
Most of the earlier ranks displayed above used different insignia when worn by Dewey in the Civil War. The current U.S. Navy stripe system wasn't formalized until 1889.
Honors
In 1898, the Borough of Hellertown, Pennsylvania formed its fire department naming it Dewey Fire Company No. 1 in honor of George Dewey.
Three ships of the
United States Navy have borne the name
USS Dewey, including an
Arleigh Burke-class destroyer,
USS Dewey (DDG-105) that began construction in 2005.
Thomasville,
Georgia, contains the Dewey City "subdivision," an area settled in the late 1880s by former slaves.
The column in the center of
San Francisco's Union Square is dedicated t to Dewey's victory at Manila Bay.
Dewey Beach, Delaware is named in honor of Admiral Dewey.
In 1899, Mills Novelty released a
slot machine named The Dewey, in honor of Admiral Dewey.
The name of the main town of
Culebra,
Puerto Rico was named in his honor, however it's known by many locals simply as
Pueblo.
Dewey Avenue in
Wharton,
New Jersey is named in honor of Admiral Dewey.
Further Information
Get more info on 'George Dewey'.
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