View source for George Dewey

{{short description|US Navy admiral}}
{{redirect|Admiral Dewey|the boat|Admiral Dewey (tugboat)}}
{{more citations needed|date = October 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2024}}
{{Infobox military person
| name          = George Dewey
| birth_date    = {{birth date|1837|12|26}}
| death_date    = {{death date and age|1917|1|16|1837|12|26}}
| birth_place   = [[Montpelier, Vermont]], U.S.
| death_place   = [[Washington, D.C.]], U.S.
| placeofburial = [[Washington National Cathedral]]
| image         = Adm. George Dewey (flipped).jpg
| caption       = Dewey in 1899
| nickname      = 
| alma_mater    = [[United States Naval Academy]]<br/>
[[Norwich University]]
| allegiance    = United States
| branch        = [[United States Navy]]<br />[[Union Navy]]
| serviceyears  = 1858–1917
| rank          = [[File:US Admiral of Navy shoulderboard.svg|50px]] [[Admiral of the Navy]]
| commands      = [[Asiatic Squadron]]<br />[[General Board of the United States Navy]]
| unit          = 
| battles       = [[American Civil War]]
* [[Battle of Forts Jackson and St. Philip]]
* [[Battle of New Orleans (Civil War)|Battle of New Orleans]]
* [[Battle of Port Hudson]]
* [[First Battle of Fort Fisher]]
* [[Second Battle of Fort Fisher]]
[[Spanish–American War]]
* [[Battle of Manila Bay]]
[[Philippine–American War]]
*[[Battle of San Roque (1899)|Battle of San Roque]]
[[Venezuelan crisis of 1902–1903]]
| awards        = 
| laterwork     = 
| signature     = George Dewey signature.jpg
| signature_size = 200px
}}

[[File:Théobald Chartran - Admiral George Dewey - NPG.86.144 - National Portrait Gallery.jpg|right|thumb|Admiral Dewey as he appears at the [[National Portrait Gallery (United States)|National Portrait Gallery]] in [[Washington, D.C.]]]]

'''George Dewey''' (December 26, 1837{{snd}}January 16, 1917) was [[Admiral of the Navy]], the only person in United States history to have attained that rank. He is best known for his victory at the [[Battle of Manila Bay]] during the [[Spanish–American War]], with the loss of only a single crewman on the American side.

Dewey was born in [[Montpelier, Vermont]]. At age 15, Dewey's father enrolled him at [[Norwich University]] in [[Northfield, Vermont]]. Two years later Norwich expelled him for drunkenness and herding sheep into the barracks. Subsequently, he entered the [[United States Naval Academy]] in 1854. He graduated from the academy in 1858 and was assigned as the executive lieutenant of {{USS|Mississippi|1841|6}} at the beginning of the [[American Civil War|Civil War]]. He participated in the [[capture of New Orleans]] and the [[Siege of Port Hudson]], helping the [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] take control of the [[Mississippi River]]. By the end of the war, Dewey reached the rank of [[Lieutenant commander (United States)|lieutenant commander]].

After the Civil War, Dewey undertook a variety of assignments, serving on multiple ships (including {{USS|Constitution}}) and as an instructor at the Naval Academy. He also served on the [[United States Lighthouse Board]] and the [[Board of Inspection and Survey]]. He was promoted to [[Commodore (United States)|commodore]] in 1896 and assigned to the [[Asiatic Squadron]] the following year. After that appointment, he began preparations for a potential war with Spain, which broke out in April 1898. Immediately after the beginning of the war, Dewey led an attack on [[Manila Bay]], sinking or capturing the entire Spanish Pacific fleet while suffering only minor casualties. After the battle, his fleet assisted in the [[Battle of Manila (1898)|capture]] of [[Manila]]. Dewey's victory at Manila Bay was widely lauded in the United States, and he was promoted to Admiral of the Navy in 1903.

Dewey explored a run for the [[1900 United States presidential election|1900]] [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] presidential nomination, but he withdrew from the race and endorsed President [[William McKinley]]. He served on the [[General Board of the United States Navy]], an important policy-making body, from 1900 until his death in 1917.

==Early life==
Dewey was born in [[Montpelier, Vermont]], on December 26, 1837, directly opposite the [[Vermont State House]], to [[Julius Yemans Dewey]] and his first wife, Mary Perrin.<ref name="spanamwar.com" /><ref name="tbMar" /> Julius was a [[physician]] who received his degree from [[The University of Vermont]]. He was among the founders of the [[National Life Group|National Life Insurance Company]] in 1848,<ref name="spanamwar.com" /> a member of the [[Episcopal Church in the United States of America|Episcopal Church]], and was among the founders of the [[Christ Episcopal Church (Montpelier, Vermont)|Christ Episcopal Church]] in Montpelier. George was baptized and attended Sunday school there. George had two older brothers and a younger sister.<ref name="msu.edu" />

Dewey's third cousin twice removed was [[Thomas E. Dewey]], [[Governor of New York]] and two-time Republican Party presidential nominee.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Family relationship of Admiral George Dewey and Thomas Edmund Dewey via Simeon Dewey |url=https://famouskin.com/famous-kin-chart.php?name=68098+george+dewey&kin=94929+thomas+edmund+dewey&via=70501+simeon+dewey |access-date=June 6, 2024 |website=famouskin.com}}</ref>

Dewey attended school in the nearby town of [[Johnson (town), Vermont|Johnson]]. When he was fifteen years old he went to the American Literary Scientific and Military Academy.<ref name="archive.org" /> The school, better known as [[Norwich University]], had been founded by [[Alden Partridge]] and aimed at giving cadets a well-rounded military education. Dewey attended for two years (1852–1854).<ref name="spanamwar.com" /> Dewey found a military role model when he read a biography of [[Hannibal]].<ref name="archive.org" />

==Naval career==

===Naval Academy===
Dewey entered the [[United States Naval Academy]] in 1854 at the age of 16. The conventional four-year course had just been introduced in 1851 and the cadet corps was quite small, averaging about one hundred Acting [[Midshipman|Midshipmen]].<ref name="spanamwar.com" /> Out of all that entered in his year, only fourteen stayed through the course. He stood fifth on the class roll at graduation.<ref name="archive.org" /> He graduated from the Academy on June 18, 1858.<ref name="spanamwar.com" />

===Midshipman===
As a midshipman, Dewey first went to sea on a practice cruise aboard {{USS|Saratoga|1842|6}}; on this cruise he earned recognition as a [[Officer Cadet|cadet officer]]. As a result, he was assigned to one of the best ships of the old Navy—the steam frigate {{USS|Wabash|1855|6}}.<ref name="archive.org" /> ''Wabash'' under Captain [[Samuel Barron (1809–1888)|Samuel Barron]] was the new flagship of the [[Mediterranean Squadron (United States)|Mediterranean Squadron]]. On July 22, 1858, the ship left [[Hampton Roads]] for Europe.<ref name="spanamwar.com" />

''Wabash'' reached her first port of call, Gibraltar, on August 17, 1858. She cruised in the [[Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean]], and the cadet officers visited the cities of the Old World accessible to them, often taking trips inland. Dewey was assigned to keep the [[Logbook|ship's log]].<ref name="archive.org" /> ''Wabash'' returned to the [[New York Navy Yard]] on December 16, 1859, and decommissioned there on December 20, 1859. Dewey served on two short-term cruises in 1860.

===Civil War service===
At the beginning of the [[American Civil War]], Dewey was executive lieutenant on {{USS|Mississippi|1841|6}}, a steam paddle frigate assigned to the [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] [[Union blockade#West Gulf Blockading Squadron|West Gulf Blockading Squadron]].

====Attack on New Orleans====
At the beginning of 1862, ''Mississippi'' was attached to [[David Farragut]]'s fleet for the [[capture of New Orleans]]. On the night of April 24–25, 1862, Farragut led his ships up the [[Mississippi River]] past the [[Confederate States Army|Confederate]] defenses at [[Fort St. Philip]] and [[Fort Jackson, Louisiana|Fort Jackson]]. ''Mississippi'' was the third in Farragut's first division, with Dewey at the helm.

The first division (all big ships) kept near the west bank where the current was weaker and the water deeper; but this brought them right under the muzzles of the guns of Fort St. Philip. Dewey steered ''Mississippi'' through shallow water where he expected to run aground any moment.<ref name="archive.org" />

There was a squadron of [[Confederate States Navy|Confederate gunboats]] waiting above the forts. This included {{ship|CSS|Manassas}}, a small ironclad. ''Manassas'' tried to [[naval ram|ram]] ''Mississippi'', but Dewey safely maneuvered ''Mississippi'' to evade. ''Manassas'' then attacked {{USS|Brooklyn|1858|2}} and {{USS|Hartford|1858|2}} in the next division, and then turned back upriver.

Farragut signaled ''Mississippi'' to run ''Manassas'' down. Dewey steered ''Mississippi'' into a ramming attack. ''Manassas'' dodged, but ran aground and was abandoned. She was set on fire by a boat from ''Mississippi'', and then shelled.<ref name="archive.org" />
Farragut's fleet then continued upriver and forced the surrender of the city.

This was the first battle in which Dewey distinguished himself. For the remainder of 1862, Farragut's ships (including ''Mississippi'') patrolled the lower river. This was dangerous, as the ships were fired on by Confederate sharpshooters on the banks, and even occasionally by light artillery.<ref name="archive.org" />

====Battle of Port Hudson====
[[File:GeorgeDeweyPortrait.jpg|thumb|George Dewey]]
In spring 1863, Union forces moved to take the Confederate fortress at [[Port Hudson, Louisiana]], where at that time the [[Red River of the South|Red River]] joined the Mississippi. Farragut attempted to pass the fortress with his fleet and cut it off upriver, thereby completing the [[Siege of Port Hudson]].

The attempt was made on March 14, 1863. In this action, Dewey saw fiercer fighting than he was ever to see again. ''Mississippi'' ran aground and was the target of concentrated enemy fire for half an hour, until she had to be abandoned. Dewey was among the last to leave the wreck.<ref name="archive.org" />

===Assignment to USS ''Agawam''===
Dewey was highly complimented by his immediate superiors and by Farragut himself, who appointed him executive officer of {{USS|Agawam|1863|6}}, a small gunboat the admiral used frequently for dispatches and his personal reconnoitering. This little vessel was frequently under fire by concealed sharpshooters and temporary batteries. In July of that year a small engagement at [[Donaldsonville, Louisiana]], resulted in the death of Captain [[Abner Read]], of [[USS New London|USS ''New London'']], and the severe wounding of his executive officer. Dewey was present, and was so conspicuous for gallantry that he was recommended for promotion on the strength of it. Meanwhile, he was given temporary command of the frigate.<ref name="archive.org" />

===Assignment to USS ''Colorado''===
In the latter part of 1864, after some service in the [[James River (Virginia)|James River]] under Commander McComb, Lieutenant Dewey was made executive officer of the first-rate wooden man-of-war {{USS|Colorado|1856|6}}, in the [[Union blockade#North Atlantic Blockading Squadron|North Atlantic Blockading Squadron]] under command of Commodore [[Henry K. Thatcher|Henry Knox Thatcher]].

===Battles of Fort Fisher===
By late 1864, [[Wilmington, North Carolina]], was the only port left to the Confederacy. Its access to the sea was protected by [[Fort Fisher]], at the mouth of the [[Cape Fear River]].

A joint Army-Navy attack in December failed (the [[First Battle of Fort Fisher]], December 7–27, 1864).<ref name="archive.org" />

A second attack came in January (the [[Second Battle of Fort Fisher]], January 13–15, 1865). ''Colorado'' was engaged, and Dewey played a key role in her success.

''Colorado'', being a wooden ship, was placed in the line outside the monitors and other armored vessels but got a full share of conflict. Toward the end of the second engagement, when matters were moving the right way, Admiral Porter signaled Thatcher to close in and silence a certain part of the works. As ''Colorado'' had already received considerable damage, her officers remonstrated. But Dewey, who had now acquired marked tactical ability, was quick to see the advantage to be gained by the move and the work was taken in fifteen minutes. ''[[The New York Times]]'', commenting upon this part of the action, spoke of it as "the most beautiful duel of the war". When Admiral Porter came to congratulate Commodore Thatcher, the latter said generously: "You must thank Lieutenant Dewey, sir. It was his move." Nevertheless, Thatcher was promoted to [[Rear Admiral (United States)|rear admiral]]. He tried to take Dewey with him as his fleet captain when he went to supersede Farragut at [[Mobile Bay]]. This was not permitted, but Dewey was promoted to [[Lieutenant commander (United States)|lieutenant commander]].<ref name="archive.org" />

==Post–Civil War life==
After the end of the Civil War, then Lieutenant Commander Dewey remained in active service, and was sent to the European station as executive officer of {{USS|Kearsarge|1861|6}}—the famous ship that had sunk the [[CSS Alabama|Confederate privateer ''Alabama'']].

===Peacetime assignments===
Dewey's next tour of duty was in 1867 and 1868 as executive officer of {{USS|Colorado|1856|6}}—the same vessel in which he had won his honors at Fort Fisher, and now the flagship of the [[European Squadron]]. The admiral in command of the ship and squadron was [[Louis M. Goldsborough]], and one of Dewey's companions was [[John C. Watson (admiral)|John Crittenden Watson]]—the same man, who, as rear admiral, relieved Admiral Dewey of his duties at Manila, when he wished to return to the United States in the summer of 1899.<ref name="archive.org" /> Lieutenant Commander Dewey was in charge of the vessels at the Naval Academy in Annapolis from November 6, 1867, through August 1, 1870. This duty included commanding the famous frigate {{USS|Constitution}}, which was berthed at Annapolis as a training ship.

Some tranquil years followed the end of Dewey's cruise on ''Colorado''. For two years, from 1868 to 1870, he was an instructor at the Naval Academy. The next year he did special surveying work on the steam sloop {{USS|Narragansett|1859|6}}. He was then briefly assigned to the Naval Torpedo Station at Newport, Rhode Island. It was during this assignment that his wife died just after the birth of his son. In 1873, Dewey was given command of ''Narragansett'' and spent nearly four years on her, engaged in the Pacific Coast Survey.<ref name="archive.org" />

===Lighthouse Board===
This entitled him to a period of rest ashore; and he was ordered to [[Washington, D.C.|Washington]], and made lighthouse inspector in 1880, and then secretary of the [[United States Lighthouse Board|lighthouse board]], a service in which he took great interest. Meanwhile, he had been promoted to the grade of [[Commander (United States)|commander]]. This residence in Washington as a bureau officer of high rank gave him an extensive acquaintance, and he became one of the most popular men in the capital. He was a member of the [[Metropolitan Club (Washington, D.C.)|Metropolitan Club]], the leading social club of Washington.<ref name="archive.org" />

===Assignments 1882 – 1896===
In 1882, this leave of absence in Washington came to an end when he was sent to the [[Asiatic Squadron|Asiatic station]] in command of {{USS|Juniata|1862|6}}, where he studied the situation with care and acquired information of immense importance ten years later.<ref name="archive.org" />

He was promoted to the rank of [[Captain (United States O-6)|captain]] in 1884, and he was ordered home and given command of {{USS|Dolphin|PG-24|6}}—one of the first four ships of the original [[Squadron of Evolution|"white squadron"]], steam-powered ships with steel hulls which formed the basis of the modern United States Navy. ''Dolphin'' was officially classed as a dispatch boat, and was often used as the [[President of the United States|Presidential]] yacht.<ref name="archive.org" />

In 1885, Captain Dewey undertook another tour of sea service, and for three years was in command of {{USS|Pensacola|1859|6}}, familiar to him in the New Orleans battles, now flagship of the European squadron.<ref name="archive.org" />

Returning to Washington in 1893, he resumed the life of a bureau officer, being attached to the lighthouse board. In 1896, he was promoted to [[Commodore (United States)|commodore]] and transferred to the [[Board of Inspection and Survey]].<ref name="archive.org" />

==Spanish–American War==
{{Main|Spanish–American War}}

===Commander of Asiatic Squadron===

In 1896, Dewey applied for a sea posting as commander of the Asiatic Squadron. Although Dewey was a long shot for the position, his friend [[Theodore Roosevelt]] arranged for President [[William McKinley]] to select Dewey over a more senior officer.<ref name="jones" />{{rp|40–41}} The Commodore hoisted his pennant on board {{USS|Olympia|C-6|6}} at [[Nagasaki]] in January 1898, and departed for Hong Kong in February to inspect the U.S. warships lying in Hong Kong harbour.<ref name="WqqEj" /> Upon arrival, he learned that {{USS|Maine|ACR-1|2}} had blown up in Havana Harbor.<ref name="kXmIM" /> Dewey was skeptical that the country would go to war, writing, "I don't see what we have to gain in a war with Spain."<ref name="JyM2h" /> However, he was confident of victory, writing, "I expect to capture the Spanish ships and reduce the defenses of Manila in one day."<ref name="OU0wY" />

As the war clouds loomed, Dewey assembled his squadron at Hong Kong and made preparations. The cruiser {{USS|Baltimore|C-3|6}} was dispatched to Hong Kong via the [[Republic of Hawaii]]. Dewey purchased the merchant colliers {{USS|Nanshan|AG-3|2}} and {{USS|Zafiro|1884|2}}, retaining their crews. The warships were repainted from white to gray. Upon the outbreak of war between the United States and Spain, the [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|United Kingdom]] declared its [[Neutral country|neutrality]] and Dewey was ordered by [[Wilsone Black]] to leave British waters. The Asiatic Squadron moved to the Chinese waters of [[Mirs Bay]].

===Battle of Manila Bay===
{{Main|Battle of Manila Bay}}

[[File:USS Olympia with Dewey at Battle of Manila bay DSCN4191 at Vermont State.jpg|thumb|Detail of a painting in the [[Vermont State House]] depicting Dewey on {{USS|Olympia|C-6|6}} during the [[Battle of Manila Bay]]]]

On April 27, 1898, he sailed from China aboard {{USS|Olympia|C-6|6}} 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, saying the now famous words "You may fire when you are ready, [[Charles Vernon Gridley|Gridley]]." True to his word, Dewey defeated the Spanish in a battle lasting just six hours. The Asiatic Squadron sank or captured the entire Spanish Pacific Squadron under Admiral [[Patricio Montojo y Pasarón]] and silenced the shore batteries at [[Manila]], with the loss of only one life on the American side from a heart attack.<ref>{{cite web |last1=McSherry |first1=Patrick |title=The Battle of Manila Bay (Cavite) |url=https://www.spanamwar.com/mbay |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211117103701/https://www.spanamwar.com/mbay |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 17, 2021 |website=spanamwar.com |publisher=The Spanish American War Centennial |access-date=October 18, 2022 }}</ref>

{{Blockquote
| quote = Didn't Admiral Dewey do wonderfully well? I got him the position out there in Asia last year, and I had to beg hard to do it; and the reason I gave was that we might have to send him to Manila. And we sent him — and he went!
| source = Letter from Theodore Roosevelt to William Wingate Sewall, May 4, 1898<ref name="i4tGV" />
}}

===Philippines===
In the early stages of the Spanish-American War in the Philippines, Dewey and the Americans were aided by the Filipino nationalists led by [[Emilio Aguinaldo]] who had fought previously the [[Philippine Revolution]] and were attacking the Spanish by land after Dewey had defeated the Spanish at sea.  There were no U.S. Army ground troops in the Philippines at the time.  Dewey and Aguinaldo at first enjoyed a cordial relationship and Dewey described the Filipinos to a ''[[London Daily News]]'' reporter in 1899 as "intelligent" and well "capable of self-government."<ref>{{cite magazine |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=The opinions of Admiral Dewey about the war in the Philippines |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vtI7AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA184 |magazine=Life |publisher=John Ames Mitchell |date=September 7, 1899 |volume=XXXIV |issue=876 |page=184 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Krenn |first1=Michael L. |editor1-last=Krenn |editor1-first=Michael L. |title=The Impact of Race on U.S. Foreign Policy: A Reader |date=2020 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-000-14998-2 |page=82 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jyr3DwAAQBAJ&pg=PT82 |language=en |chapter=Imperialism and The Anglo-Saxon}}</ref>  In August after ground troops arrived, Dewey aided U.S. Army General [[Wesley Merritt]] in taking possession of Manila on August 13, 1898, during the 1898 [[Battle of Manila (1898)|Battle of Manila]], the "mock Battle of Manila", while Aguinaldo's troops, surrounding Manila, were kept out.  In February 1899, the [[Philippine–American War]] started. In 1902, Dewey testified during the [[United States Senate Committee on the Philippines#Lodge Committee|Lodge Committee's]] investigation into alleged American war crimes against Filipinos. There, Dewey seemingly reversed his previous positions, stating that "neither the Filipinos nor the Cubans are capable of self-government" and the Philippines would "lapse into anarchy" if the United States granted them full independence. Despite the clear difference between his testimony and his earlier statements, Dewey stated that his testimony reflected the opinions he always held.<ref>{{cite news |author=|title=Admiral Dewey Continues His Testimony|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1902/06/29/archives/admiral-dewey-continues-his-testimony-he-gives-further-details.html | work=[[The New York Times]] |location=New York City, United States |date=June 29, 1902 | page=13 |access-date=June 6, 2024}}</ref>

==Hero==
[[File:George Dewey calendar cover cph.3g09041.jpg|thumb|Dewey on the cover of an 1899 souvenir calendar]]
Dewey was promoted to rear admiral in May 1898, and full admiral the following year. Returning to the United States on September 27, 1899, Dewey received a hero's welcome. New York City's September 1899 welcome-home celebration for Dewey was a two-day parade. When Boston paid tribute, he was greeted at [[Old City Hall (Boston)|City Hall]] by 280 singers from the [[Handel and Haydn Society]] who sang the anthem "See the Conquering Hero Comes" from Handel's ''[[Judas Maccabaeus (Handel)|Judas Maccabaeus]]''.<ref name="2HOFj" /> By act of [[United States Congress|Congress]], he was promoted to the special rank of [[Admiral of the Navy]] in 1903, with his date of rank retroactive to 1899.<ref name=":0" />

A special [[Awards and decorations of the United States military|military decoration]], the Battle of Manila Bay Medal (commonly called the [[Dewey Medal]]), was struck in honor of Dewey's victory at Manila Bay. It was awarded to every American officer, sailor, and Marine present at the battle. The medals were designed by [[Daniel Chester French]], sculptor of the [[Lincoln Memorial]], and produced by [[Tiffany & Co.]] of New York. Each medal was engraved with the recipient's name, rank, and ship. Since his own image appeared on the obverse of the medal, out of modesty, Dewey wore his medal reversed. Dewey was one of only four Americans in history (the other three being Admiral [[William T. Sampson]], Admiral [[Richard E. Byrd]], and General [[John J. Pershing]]) who were entitled to wear a US government-issued medal with their own image on it. Such was his high regard by the public that "Dewey" was the 19th most popular boys' name in 1898, jumping from 111th the year prior.<ref name="IWF2R" />

Shortly after the Battle of Manila Bay, on May 31, 1898, Dewey wrote to the Secretary of the Navy asking that 50 Chinese sailors who had served with the Asiatic Squadron at Manila Bay be allowed to enter the United States. In Dewey's letter he noted that the Chinese had "rendered the most efficient services upon that occasion" and that they had "shown courage and energy in the face of an enemy." At that time an immigration law, the 1882 [[Chinese Exclusion Act]], prohibited Chinese laborers from landing in the United States.<ref name="oTqNn" /> Dewey had enlisted the Chinese sailors against the wishes of the Navy Department and, despite his very public entreatment that they be granted US citizenship, Congress refused to even take up the issue.<ref name="emPqJ" />

On October 3, 1899, Dewey was presented a special sword by President McKinley in a ceremony at the Capitol building. The presentation of the sword was followed by a parade down Pennsylvania Avenue. Congress, by unanimous vote, had authorized $10,000 to fund the gift shortly after the Battle of Manila Bay. The elaborately decorated sword was custom-made by Tiffany & Co. Its hilt and fittings were made of 22 carat gold. The sword is now on display, along with uniforms and medals belonging to Admiral Dewey, at the [[National Museum of the United States Navy]] at the [[Washington Navy Yard]].<ref name="mJExX" />

==Politics==
Many suggested Dewey [[1900 United States presidential election|run for President]] on the [[History of the Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] ticket in 1900.<ref>William P. Leeman, "America's admiral: George Dewey and American culture in the Gilded Age." ''The Historian'' 65.3 (2003): 587-614.</ref> His candidacy was plagued by public relations missteps. 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 would "execute the laws of Congress as faithfully as I have always executed the orders of my superiors." He admitted to never having voted in a presidential election. He drew yet more criticism when he offhandedly, but prophetically, told a newspaper reporter that: "Our next war will be with Germany."<ref name="7ZAO2" /> Dewey also angered some [[Protestantism|Protestants]] by marrying a [[Catholicism|Catholic]] and giving her the house that the nation had given him following the war.<ref name="Spt1V" /> Dewey withdrew from the race in mid-May 1900 and endorsed [[William McKinley]].

In 1900, after his withdrawal from the presidential race, he was named president of the newly established [[General Board of the United States Navy|General Board]] of the Navy Department, which was the Navy's major policy{{nbhyph}}making body.  He remained in active naval service on the board until his death, and played a major role in championing the introduction of new technologies into the expanding U.S. Navy with his support of the development of naval aviation and the submarine.

==Marriages and death==
[[File:Théobald Chartran - Mildred Hazen Dewey - S-NPG.86.143 - National Portrait Gallery.jpg|thumb|Mildred Hazen Dewey]]
In 1866, Dewey was assigned to duty in the [[Portsmouth Navy Yard]] in [[Kittery, Maine]], and there met the woman who became his first wife:<ref name="archive.org" /> Susan "Susie" Boardman Goodwin (1844–1872), daughter of [[List of Governors of New Hampshire|New Hampshire's "war governor"]], [[Ichabod Goodwin]],<ref name="v4nVj" /> a Republican who fitted out troops for the war at his own expense. The Deweys were married on October 24, 1867, and had one son, George. Susie died on December 28, 1872, five days after giving birth.<ref name="dRunV" />

The longtime widower cut a dashing figure and enjoyed the company of women. In 1893, he was escorting two women aboard a warship when he unexpectedly ran into his son. Thinking on his feet, Dewey introduced his son as his younger brother.<ref name="jones" />{{rp|40–41}}

On November 9, 1899, after his triumphal return from the Far East, Dewey was married for the second time to Mildred McLean Hazen (1850–1931),<ref name="mFSkP" /> widow of General [[William Babcock Hazen]], in the rectory of St. Paul's Catholic Church in Washington, D.C. Since Hazen was a Roman Catholic and Dewey was not, they were not permitted to have their wedding inside a Catholic church.<ref name="VPq8x" /><ref name="KBh5i" /> The marriage was criticized by some [[Anti-Catholicism in the United States|anti-Catholic voices]], as was Dewey's transfer to his wife of the $50,000 Washington mansion given to him by the American public through a fund-raising campaign.<ref name="NMPrW" /><ref name="cT5lP" /><ref name="RNu6n" /><ref name="ZmCgf" />

In later life, Dewey wore stylish clothes and a handlebar mustache, which was his trademark. His inherited wealth allowed him to live in comfort. He often went horseback riding with President Theodore Roosevelt in Washington's [[Rock Creek Park]], and he was a fellow member of Washington's prestigious [[Metropolitan Club (Washington, D.C.)|Metropolitan Club]].

For the last 17 years of his life, he resided at 1730 K Street NW, in Washington.  His office was in the [[Eisenhower Executive Office Building|State, War and Navy Building]] adjacent to the White House.

Dewey died in Washington on January 16, 1917. After [[lying in state#United States|lying in state]] at the [[United States Capitol rotunda]],<ref name="f2481" /> his remains were interred at [[Arlington National Cemetery]]. A mausoleum was later built for him in the cemetery. In 1925, his widow had his remains transferred to the Bethlehem Chapel, on the crypt level, at the [[Washington National Cathedral]], Washington, D.C.<ref name="llkUA" />

==Memberships==
[[File:Admiral George Dewey standing on the bridge of a ship) - Frank A. Nankivell '89 LCCN2012647342 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Dewey in 1899 art from ''[[Puck (magazine)|Puck]]'', which was the first successful humor magazine in the United States|alt=]]
Admiral Dewey belonged to numerous military, patriotic and hereditary societies.

In 1901, Admiral Dewey was elected as an honorary member of the New York [[Society of the Cincinnati]].

In 1882, Dewey was elected as a First Class Companion of the District of Columbia Commandery of the [[Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States]] (MOLLUS) and was assigned insignia number 2397.

Dewey was a key leader in the [[Naval Order of the United States]] (insignia number 207).  He served as Commander of the New York Commandery of the Naval Order of the United States from 1898 to 1900, and as Commander General (i.e., National President) of the Order from 1907 to 1917.

He was also a member of the Pennsylvania Society of the [[Order of the Founders and Patriots of America]] (state member number 93 and national member number 552; he served as fifth Governor General from 1904 to 1906 and as its seventh Governor General from 1906 to 1908),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Governors General of the Order 1896-2024 – The Order of the Founders and Patriots of America |url=https://ofpa.org/governors-general-of-the-order-1896-2024/ |access-date=2025-11-13 |language=en-US}}</ref> the New York Society of the [[Sons of the Revolution]] (elected as a life member in 1899), the Vermont Society of the [[Sons of the American Revolution]] (joined in 1892, state member number 220 and national member number 2920), the Vermont [[Society of Colonial Wars]] (insignia number 2663), the New Jersey Society of the [[General Society of the War of 1812]] (state membership number 15), the Society of American Wars (Vice Commander General), and the Pennsylvania Commandery of the [[Military Order of Foreign Wars]] (insignia number 363).

Dewey's membership insignia for most of the societies listed above are in the collection of the [[National Museum of the United States Navy]] at the [[Washington Navy Yard]].

Dewey was an early member of the board of directors of the [[Boy Scouts of America]], serving until his resignation from that office in late 1910.

==Dates of rank==
* [[Midshipman|Acting Midshipman]], United States Naval Academy: September 23, 1854
* [[Midshipman|Warranted Midshipman]]: June 11, 1858

In the mid to late-18th Century, the US Navy had three "ranks" of Midshipmen serving:  "acting midshipmen" who were active students at the US Naval Academy, "warranted midshipmen" who had completed most of their studies at the Academy and were serving at sea while holding line authority through a warrant of authority, and "passed midshipmen" who had completed all requirements for commissioning and held warranted line authority similar to ensigns of the modern US Navy.  In the era of the Civil War, it was a common practice for officers to serve as a "Master" with a warrant of authority until they were commissioned. It was also common 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 ranks of ensign or lieutenant (junior grade) as those ranks were not created until 1862 and 1883, respectively.<ref name="jcY3Y" /><ref name="YJzO7" /><ref name=":0" />  Nor was he appointed to the rank of vice admiral, there being no actively serving vice admirals in the US Navy at that time.

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:auto; width:100%; text-align:center;"
![[Passed midshipman|Passed Midshipman]]
![[Master (naval)|Master]]
![[Lieutenant (navy)|Lieutenant]]
![[Lieutenant commander (United States)|Lieutenant Commander]]
![[Commander (United States)|Commander]]
|-
!O-1
!O-2
!O-3
!O-4
!O-5
|-
| style="width:16%;"| [[File:USN Ensign rank insignia.jpg|100px]]
| style="width:16%;"| [[File:USN master rank insignia.jpg|100px]]
| style="width:16%;"| [[File:USN lt rank insignia.jpg|100px]]
| style="width:16%;"| [[File:USN lt com rank insignia.jpg|100px]]
| style="width:16%;"| [[File:USN com rank insignia.jpg|100px]]
|-
!January 19, 1861
!February 28, 1861 
!April 19, 1861
!March 3, 1865
!April 13, 1872
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:auto; width:100%; text-align:center;"
![[Captain (United States O-6)|Captain]]
![[Commodore (United States)|Commodore]]
![[Rear admiral (United States)|Rear Admiral]]
![[Admiral (United States)|Admiral]]
![[Admiral of the Navy]]
|-
!O-6
!O-7
!O-8
!O-10
!Special Rank
|-
| style="width:16%;"| [[File:U.S. Navy captain rank insignia (1864-1866).png|border|100px]]
| style="width:16%;"| [[File:USN commodore rank insignia.jpg|100px]]
| style="width:16%;"| [[File:USN Rear Admiral rank insignia.jpg|100px]]
| style="width:16%;"| [[File:USN Admiral rank insignia.jpg|100px]]
| style="width:16%;"| [[File:US Admiral of Navy shoulderboard.svg|100px]]
|-
!September 27, 1884 <br>(Retroactive to July 28, 1884)
!February 28, 1896
!May 11, 1898
!March 8, 1899<ref name="rank">{{Cite web|title=Biography: George Dewey (26 December 1837 – 16 January 1917)|url=https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/research-guides/z-files/zb-files/zb-files-d/dewey-george.html#bio|access-date=October 31, 2020|website=[[Naval History and Heritage Command]]}}</ref>
!March 24, 1903<ref name="rank" /><br />(Retroactive to March 2, 1899)<ref name="rank" /> 
|}

[[File:Adm dewey 1913.png|frame|Dewey in special full dress uniform as Admiral of the Navy]]

Admiral Dewey's final rank was [[Admiral of the Navy]], making him the highest-ranking officer in the history of the United States Navy. He is the only person ever to hold this rank. Admiral of the Navy is equivalent to [[General of the Armies]]. General [[John J. Pershing]], US Army, was promoted to General of the Armies in 1919, Lieutenant General [[George Washington]], US Army, was posthumously promoted on the Retired List of the US Army to the rank of [[General of the Armies of the United States]], with an effective date of rank of July 4, 1776, and General [[Ulysses S. Grant]] also received a posthumous promotion on December 27, 2022.<ref>[https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/local/ulysses-s-grant-posthumously-promoted-general-of-the-armies-six-star/63-2dd14b5d-3324-4cfb-93b8-f5e2da8d9401 Ulysses S. Grant posthumously promoted to 'General of the Armies']</ref>
<ref name=":0" />

Admiral Dewey served a total of 62 years on active duty in the U.S. Navy.  This was just one year less than Admiral [[Hyman G. Rickover]].

==Honors==

===Medals awarded by the U.S. government===

(Dates indicate the year the medal was awarded.)

*[[Civil War Campaign Medal]] (1908)
*Battle of Manila Bay Medal (aka. "[[Dewey Medal]]") (1899)
*[[Spanish Campaign Medal]] (1908)
*[[Philippine Campaign Medal]] (1908)

Note – Although Dewey was entitled to all of the above medals, he is pictured at right wearing only the Battle of Manila Bay Medal.  He wore the medal with the reverse side showing because his profile was on the obverse side. (He was one of only four officers in American military history entitled to wear a medal with his own image on it.)   He is wearing the special additional gold braid on his sleeves denoting his unique rank as Admiral of the Navy.

==Legacy==

===Namesakes===
{{More sources section|date=May 2025}}
*Dewey International Elementary School, Saint Louis, Missouri. 
*Dewey Point, Yosemite National Park, California, appeared on the first edition of the Yosemite Valley map in 1907
*Dewey Hall, an academic building at [[Norwich University]], was constructed in 1899, in honor of his victory at Manila Bay.
*In 1898, the Borough of [[Hellertown, Pennsylvania]], formed its fire department naming it Dewey Fire Company No. 1 in honor of George Dewey.
*Also in 1898, the city of [[Boston, Massachusetts]], named the square besides the nearly complete [[South Station|South Central Station]] as [[Dewey Square]] in his honor.<ref name="o2YW5" />
*Four vessels of the [[United States Navy]] have borne the name {{USS|Dewey||2}}, including the {{sclass|Arleigh Burke|destroyer|2}} {{USS|Dewey|DDG-105|2}}, laid down on October 4, 2006, launched on January 26, 2008, and commissioned on March 6, 2010.
*Dewey Hall and Dewey Field at the [[United States Naval Academy]] in [[Annapolis, Maryland]].
*Dewey Field at [[Naval Station Newport]] in Newport, Rhode Island.
*[[Thomasville, Georgia|Thomasville]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], contains the Dewey City subdivision, an area settled in the late 1880s by former slaves.
*The [[Dewey Monument]] column in the center of [[San Francisco, California|San Francisco's]] [[Union Square, San Francisco, California|Union Square]] is dedicated to Dewey's victory at Manila Bay.
*[[Dewey Beach, Delaware]], is named in honor of Admiral Dewey.
*Dewey Street, in [[St. Paul, Minnesota]], was renamed in his honor.
*Dewey Avenue in [[Norman, Oklahoma]], was named in his honor.
*City of [[Dewey, Oklahoma]], was named in his honor. Founded in 1899 by Jacob A. Bartles.
*[[Dewey County, Oklahoma]], was named in his honor.<ref name="giq9M" />
*In 1899, Mills Novelty released a [[slot machine]] named The Dewey, in honor of Admiral Dewey.
*The main town of [[Culebra, Puerto Rico|Culebra]], [[Puerto Rico]], was named in his honor, however it is known by many locals simply as ''Pueblo''.
*The Dewey School in the Castle Rock Business Corridor in [[Castle Rock, Colorado]], was named after Admiral Dewey. The Admiral wrote a warm letter of thanks to the school children that was framed and on the wall of the school for many years until the school closed.
*Dewey Avenue in [[Rochester, New York]].  In 1898, Alderman Selye of the 10th Ward, proposed to rename the street that formed the park’s eastern boundary–known simply as The Boulevard to Dewey Avenue. The motion, intended to honor the recent victory of Admiral George Dewey in the Spanish-American War, met with unanimous approval.
*Dewey Avenue in [[Wharton, New Jersey|Wharton]], [[New Jersey]], is named in honor of Admiral Dewey.
*Dewey Blvd, now known as [[Roxas Boulevard|Roxas Blvd]], a major seaside thoroughfare in Manila, Philippines, was named after him. 
*George Dewey High School at the former [[U.S. Naval Base Subic Bay]] in the Philippines was named after him.
*A settlement in [[Newton County, Texas]], was established as a sawmill site by the Sabine Tram Company in 1898. It was named Deweyville after George Dewey.
*Dewey Lake, a lake in [[St. Louis County, Minnesota]], is named after Admiral Dewey.
*The tugboat {{ship||Admiral Dewey|tugboat|2}} was named for him.
*Dewey Road at the former [[Naval Training Center San Diego]] in the heart of [[San Diego]]'s new Civic, Arts and Cultural District is named for him.
*George Dewey Elementary School, located near the former [[Naval Training Center San Diego]], was named in his honor. Over the years, it has served a student body largely made up of children of Navy and Marine personnel.
*[[Dewey-Humboldt, Arizona]], is named in honor of Admiral Dewey.
*George Dewey Junior High School was in [[Bremerton, Washington]], until 1977 when it was razed and replaced by Mountain View Middle School.
*The [[World War II]] [[Liberty Ship]] {{SS|George Dewey}} was named in his honor.
*George Dewey Medical and Wellness Center, Morong, Bataan Philippines.
*In 1922, [[Hugh Judson Kilpatrick|Judson Kilpatrick Square]] in [[Harlem|Harlem, New York]] was renamed for Dewey. The [[Charlie Parker|Charlie Parker Quintet]] named a song after it in 1947. It was renamed again to [[A. Philip Randolph|A. Philip Randolph Square]] in 1964.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Philip Randolph Square Highlights : NYC Parks |url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/a-philip-randolph-square/history |access-date=September 29, 2024 |website=www.nycgovparks.org}}</ref>

===Other===
* [[Admiral Dewey March]], a patriotic March named after him.
* Admiral Dewey's service sword (not to be confused with the special presentation sword he received in 1899) is on display in the wardroom of the guided missile destroyer {{USS|Dewey|DDG-105}}.

==See also==
* [[Five-star rank]]

==Notes==
* Dates of promotion from ''The Records of Living Officers of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps'', Sixth Edition, 1889, by Lewis Randolph Hamersly.<ref name="n81Dg" />
* The Dewey slot machine at Arcade-History.com.<ref name="povW4" />
* Yosemite Place Names – The historic background of geographic names in Yosemite National Park by Peter Browning.

==References==
<references>
<ref name="spanamwar.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.spanamwar.com/dewey.htm|title=George Dewey|first=Brian L.|last=Miller|website=www.spanamwar.com}}</ref>
<ref name="msu.edu">{{cite web|url=https://www.msu.edu/~lipsey/html/fam02070.htm|title=Julius Yemans Dewey/Mary Perrin|website=www.msu.edu}}</ref>
<ref name="archive.org">{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/conciselifeofadm02lawr|title=A concise life of Admiral George Dewey, U. S. N|first=William J. ] [from old catalog|last=Lawrence|year=1899 |publisher=Boston, J. F. Murphy|via=Internet Archive}}</ref>
<ref name="jones">{{cite book |last1=Jones |first1=Gregg R. |title=Honor in the Dust: Theodore Roosevelt, War in the Philippines, and the Rise and Fall of America's Imperial Dream |date=2013 |publisher=New American Library |isbn=9780451239181}}</ref>
<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/library/research-guides/z-files/zb-files/zb-files-d/dewey-george.html|title=Biography of George Dewey|date=December 6, 2018|website=NHHC|publisher=Naval History and Heritage Command|language=en-US|access-date=June 21, 2019}}</ref>
<ref name="tbMar">{{cite book|title=Admiral Dewey at Manila and the Complete Story of the Philippines: Life and Glorious Deeds of Admiral George Dewey, Including a Thrilling Account of Our Conflicts with the Spaniards and Filipinos in the Orient. |publisher=J.H. Moore |year=1899 |location=[[Philadelphia]]|page=[https://archive.org/details/admiraldeweyatm00sticgoog/page/n131 123]|url=https://archive.org/details/admiraldeweyatm00sticgoog |oclc=6437000}}</ref>
<ref name="WqqEj">{{cite web |last1=Dewey |first1=George |title=Letter to Secretary of the Navy John D. Long |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/research/publications/documentary-histories/united-states-navy-s/the-battle-of-manila/commodore-george-dew-18/_jcr_content.html |date=February 1, 1898}}</ref>
<ref name="kXmIM">{{cite web |last1=Dewey |first1=George |title=Letter to George Goodwin Dewey |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/research/publications/documentary-histories/united-states-navy-s/the-battle-of-manila/commodore-george-dew-24/_jcr_content.html |website=Documentary Histories: Spanish-American War |publisher=Naval History and Heritage Command |date=February 18, 1898}}</ref>
<ref name="JyM2h">{{cite web |last1=Dewey |first1=George |title=Letter to George Goodwin Dewey |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/research/publications/documentary-histories/united-states-navy-s/the-battle-of-manila/commodore-george-dew-22/_jcr_content.html |date=March 15, 1898}}</ref>
<ref name="OU0wY">{{cite web |last1=Dewey |first1=George |title=Letter to George Goodwin Dewey |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/research/publications/documentary-histories/united-states-navy-s/the-battle-of-manila/commodore-george-dew-23/_jcr_content.html |date=March 3, 1898}}</ref>
<ref name="i4tGV">{{cite web |last1=Roosevelt |first1=Theodore |title=Letter to William Wingate Sewall, 5/4/1898 |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/research/publications/documentary-histories/united-states-navy-s/the-battle-of-manila/assistant-secretary/_jcr_content.html |website=Documentary Histories: Spanish-American War |publisher=Naval History and Heritage Command |date=May 5, 1898}}</ref>
<ref name="2HOFj">Louis Stanley Young, ''Life and Heroic Deeds of Admiral Dewey'' (Boston: James H. Earle, 1899), 546</ref>
<ref name="IWF2R">{{cite web |title=Dewey |url=https://www.behindthename.com/name/dewey/top/united-states |website=Behind the Name |access-date=January 31, 2019}}</ref>
<ref name="oTqNn">''New York Times''. February 23, 1899.</ref>
<ref name="emPqJ">{{cite web |title=A Navy of Foreigners, Mercenaries, and Amateurs: Naval Enlistment in the Spanish-American War |url=http://www.ijnhonline.org/2016/05/26/a-navy-of-foreigners-mercenaries-and-amateurs-naval-enlistment-in-the-spanish-american-war/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170804171820/http://www.ijnhonline.org/2016/05/26/a-navy-of-foreigners-mercenaries-and-amateurs-naval-enlistment-in-the-spanish-american-war/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 4, 2017 |website=International Journal of Naval History |access-date=November 10, 2019 }}</ref>
<ref name="mJExX">{{cite news|title=Dewey Receives the Nation's Gift|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1899/10/04/100453873.pdf|access-date=August 4, 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=October 3, 1899}}</ref>
<ref name="7ZAO2">[http://www.nationalreview.com/convention/diary/diaryprint.html Convention Diary] at www.nationalreview.com</ref>
<ref name="Spt1V">[http://elections.harpweek.com/1900/cartoon-1900-Medium.asp?UniqueID=7&Year=1900 HarpWeek | Elections | 1900 Medium Cartoons<!-- bot-generated title -->] at elections.harpweek.com</ref>
<ref name="v4nVj">[http://www.strawberybanke.org/houses/goodwin/goodwinhouse.html Strawbery Banke: "The Goodwin Mansion"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081227125358/http://www.strawberybanke.org/houses/goodwin/goodwinhouse.html |date=December 27, 2008}}</ref>
<ref name="dRunV">{{cite web|url=https://www.nndb.com/people/106/000094821/|title=George Dewey|website=www.nndb.com}}</ref>
<ref name="mFSkP">{{cite web|title=Dewey, Mildred McLean Hazen|url=http://www.rbhayes.org/collection-items/gilded-age-collections/dewey-mildred-mclean-hazen/|website=Gilded Age Collections|publisher=Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums|access-date=October 8, 2017}}</ref>
<ref name="VPq8x">{{cite news|title=Admiral Dewey Married|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1899/11/10/105973369.pdf|access-date=August 4, 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=November 10, 1899}}</ref>
<ref name="KBh5i">Hazen was the widow of General [[William Babcock Hazen]] and the daughter of [[Washington McLean]], a prominent Democrat and owner of ''[[The Cincinnati Enquirer]]''.</ref>
<ref name="NMPrW">{{cite journal|title=Personal and Miscellaneous|journal=The Cyclopedic Review of Current History|date=1899|volume=9|page=910|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hXpOAQAAMAAJ&q=%22Mildred+McLean+Hazen&pg=PA910|access-date=October 8, 2017}}</ref>
<ref name="cT5lP">{{cite book|editor-last1=Gates|editor-first1=Merrill E. |title=Men of Mark in America|date=1905|publisher=Men of Mark Publishing Company|location=Washington, D. C.|pages=[https://archive.org/details/menmarkinameric01unkngoog/page/n407 296]–297|url=https://archive.org/details/menmarkinameric01unkngoog|quote=Mildred McLean Hazen.|access-date=October 8, 2017}}</ref>
<ref name="RNu6n">{{cite journal|last1=Stetson|first1=Edith Warren|title=Admiral Dewey's Home and Its Mistress|journal=Metropolitan Magazine|date=January 1900|volume=XI|issue=1|pages=23–28|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uWZNAAAAYAAJ&q=%22Mildred+McLean+Hazen&pg=PA23}}</ref>
<ref name="ZmCgf">{{cite book|editor-last1=Ware|editor-first1=Susan |title=Forgotten Heroes: Inspiring American Portraits from Our Leading Historians|date=1998|publisher=The Free Press/Simon & Schuster|location=New York|isbn=0684868725|pages=[https://archive.org/details/forgottenheroesi00ware/page/165 165]–168|url=https://archive.org/details/forgottenheroesi00ware|url-access=registration}}</ref>
<ref name="f2481">{{cite web|url=https://www.aoc.gov/nations-stage/lying-state-honor |title= Lying in State or in Honor |publisher=US Architect of the Capitol (AOC) |access-date=September 1, 2018}}</ref>
<ref name="llkUA">{{Cite web|url=http://arlingtoncemetery.net/dewey-mauloseum-moved-1933.htm|title=Dewey Maulsoeum|date=October 11, 2022|access-date=October 22, 2018|archive-date=March 22, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230322033557/https://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/dewey-mauloseum-moved-1933.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>
<ref name="jcY3Y">[https://archive.today/20130409222259/http://www.history.navy.mil/trivia/triv4-5c.htm Navy Traditions and Customs: Ensign] at the Naval History & Heritage Command (www.history.navy.mil)</ref>
<ref name="YJzO7">[https://web.archive.org/web/19980703152329/http://www.history.navy.mil/trivia/triv4-5d.htm Navy Traditions and Customs: Lieutenant] at the Naval History & Heritage Command (www.history.navy.mil)</ref>
<ref name="o2YW5">{{cite book|title=The life and letters of Admiral Dewey|last=Dewey|first=Adelbert Milton|page=411|publisher=Eaton & Mains|year=1899|location=New York}}</ref>
<ref name="giq9M">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ |title=The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States |publisher=Govt. Print. Off. |author=Gannett, Henry |year=1905 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ/page/n104 105]}}</ref>
<ref name="n81Dg">{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/recordslivingof00hamegoog|title=The Records of Living Officers of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps|date=March 28, 1898|publisher=L. R. Hamersly & Company|via=Internet Archive}}</ref>
<ref name="povW4">{{cite web|url=http://www.arcade-history.com/?n=the-dewey&page=detail&id=7737|title=The Dewey slot machine by Mills Novelty (1899)|website=www.arcade-history.com}}</ref>
</references>

==Further reading==
* Brody, David. "Celebrating Empire on the Home Front: New York City's Welcome-home Party for Admiral Dewey." ''Prospects'' 2000 25: 391–424. {{ISSN|0361-2333}}

* Clifford, John Garry. "Admiral Dewey Visits Chicago." ''Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society'' 60.3 (1967): 245-266. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/40190468 online]
* Granger, Derek B. "DEWEY AT MANILA BAY: Lessons in Operational Art and Operational Leadership from America’s First Fleet Admiral." ''Naval War College Review'' 64.4 (2011): 126-141. [https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1557&context=nwc-review online]

* Grenville, John A. S. and George Berkeley Young. ''Politics, Strategy, and American Diplomacy: Studies in Foreign Policy, 1873–1917'' (1966) pp 297–336 on "The quest for security: Admiral Dewey and the general board, 1900–1917.
* Graves, Ralph. "When a Victory Really Gave Us a New World Order." ''Smithsonian'' 1992 22(12): 88–97. {{ISSN|0037-7333}} Fulltext: [[EBSCO Information Services|Ebsco]]
* Leeke, Jim. ''Manila and Santiago: The New Steel Navy in the Spanish-American War'' (Naval Institute Press, 2013).
* Leeman, William P. "America's admiral: George Dewey and American culture in the Gilded Age." ''The Historian'' 65.3 (2003): 587–614.

* Smith, David A. ''A New Force at Sea: George Dewey and the Rise of the American Navy'' (Naval Institute Press, 2023) [https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=usWhEAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP9&dq=%22george+dewey%22+admiral+politics&ots=kAufJR_-Az&sig=IJqxMT00JMNAsI-RvO9bjCB_KNw online].

* [[Ronald H. Spector|Spector, Ronald]]. ''Admiral of the New Empire: The Life and Career of George Dewey.'' 1974. 220 pp. the standard scholarly biography
* West, Jr., Richard. ''Admirals of American Empire: The Combined Story of George Dewey, Alfred Thayer Mahan, Winfield Scott Schley,  and William Thomas Sampson'' (1948)
* Williams, Vernon L. "George Dewey: Admiral of the Navy." in ''Admirals of the New Steel Navy: Makers of the American Naval Tradition, 1880–1930'' (2013): 222–49.

===Primary sources===
* Dewey, George. ''Autobiography of George Dewey, Admiral of the Navy'' (1913) [https://books.google.com/books?id=jQFFP96-o3cC&q=intitle:Autobiography+intitle:of+intitle:George+intitle:Dewey+intitle:Admiral+intitle:of+intitle:the+intitle:Navy full text online] written in collaboration with journalist Frederick Palmer as ghostwriter using the reports of Dewey's aide, Nathan Sargent.
*{{cite book |last=Mahan |first=Alfred Thayer |title=Lessons of the War with Spain: And Other Articles |url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924020399931 |author-link=Alfred Thayer Mahan |publisher=Little, Brown Low, Boston |year=1899 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/cu31924020399931/page/n347 320]}} [https://archive.org/details/lessonswarwiths00mahagoog Url]

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [https://www.spanamwar.com/dewey.htm Dewey biography on Spanish American War Centennial Website] – includes links to some of Dewey's letters
* [https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/library/research-guides/z-files/zb-files/zb-files-d/dewey-george.html Dewey biographical information] on [[Naval Historical Center]] website
* {{Wikisource-inline|list=
** {{Cite Appletons'|wstitle=Dewey, George|year=1900 |short=x |notaref=x |noicon=x}}
** [[s:United States v. Dewey|United States v. Dewey]]. 1902–1903.
** {{cite EB1911|wstitle=Dewey, George|short=x |noicon=x}}
** "[[s:To the Returning Brave|To the Returning Brave]]", a poem by [[Florence Earle Coates]].
}}
* {{Internet Archive author |sname=George Dewey}}
* {{Librivox author |id=3274}}

{{S-start}}
{{S-mil}}
{{succession box|title=Commander, [[Asiatic Squadron]]|before=[[Frederick V. McNair, Sr.]]|after=[[John C. Watson (admiral)|John C. Watson]]|years=January 3, 1898{{snd}}June 5, 1899}}
{{S-end}}
{{S-start}}
{{Succession box |
title=[[Schurman Commission|Member of the Schurman Commission]] |
before=''Newly created'' |
after=[[Luke Edward Wright]] <br /> ([[Taft Commission]]) |
years=March 4, 1899{{snd}}March 16, 1900
}}
{{S-hon}}
{{Succession box | before = [[Pierre Charles L'Enfant]] | title = Persons who have [[lying in state|lain in state or honor]]<br />in the [[United States Capitol rotunda]] | years = January 20, 1917 | after = [[Tomb of the Unknowns#The Unknown of World War I|Unknown Soldier]]<br />of [[World War I]]}}
{{S-end}}
{{Schurman Commission}}
{{United States presidential election, 1900}}
{{Lain in State (USA)|state=collapsed}}
{{Portal bar|American Civil War|Biography|Vermont}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dewey, George}}
[[Category:1837 births]]
[[Category:1917 deaths]]
[[Category:American military personnel of the Philippine–American War]]
[[Category:Burials at Washington National Cathedral]]
[[Category:Commanders of the USS Constitution]]
[[Category:Candidates in the 1900 United States presidential election]]
[[Category:General Society of the War of 1812]]
[[Category:Norwich University alumni]]
[[Category:People from Montpelier, Vermont]]
[[Category:People of Vermont in the American Civil War]]
[[Category:Union Navy officers]]
[[Category:United States Navy admirals]]
[[Category:United States Navy personnel of the Spanish–American War]]
[[Category:Vermont Democrats]]