George Dewey

George Dewey, born on December twenty-sixth, eighteen thirty-seven, in Montpelier, Vermont, was a distinguished military officer and writer. He is celebrated as the only individual in United States history to hold the rank of Admiral of the Navy. Dewey is best remembered for his remarkable victory at the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish–American War, where his strategic prowess resulted in the sinking or capturing of the entire Spanish Pacific fleet, with the loss of only a single crewman on the American side.

At the age of fifteen, Dewey's father enrolled him at Norwich University in Northfield, Vermont. However, his time there was short-lived as he was expelled for drunkenness and for herding sheep into the barracks. In eighteen fifty-four, he entered the United States Naval Academy, graduating in eighteen fifty-eight. His naval career began as the executive lieutenant of the USS Mississippi at the onset of the Civil War, where he played a crucial role in the capture of New Orleans and the Siege of Port Hudson, ultimately rising to the rank of lieutenant commander by the war's end.

Following the Civil War, Dewey held various assignments, serving on multiple ships, including the USS Constitution, and as an instructor at the Naval Academy. His contributions extended to the United States Lighthouse Board and the Board of Inspection and Survey. In eighteen ninety-six, he was promoted to commodore and assigned to the Asiatic Squadron, where he began preparations for a potential conflict with Spain, which erupted in April eighteen ninety-eight.

Immediately after the war commenced, Dewey led a decisive attack on Manila Bay, achieving a significant victory that garnered widespread acclaim in the United States. His success led to his promotion to Admiral of the Navy in nineteen hundred three. In addition to his military achievements, Dewey explored a run for the Democratic presidential nomination in nineteen hundred but ultimately withdrew and endorsed President William McKinley. He served on the General Board of the United States Navy, an influential policy-making body, until his death in nineteen seventeen.