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First Name: George

Last Name: Dewey

Birthplace: Montpelier, VT, USA

Gender: Male

Branch: Navy (present)

Rating:





Date of Birth: 26 December 1837

Date of Death: 16 January 1917

Rank or Rate: Admiral of the Navy

Years Served: 1858-1917
George Dewey

   
Graduate, U.S. Naval Academy, Class of 1858

Engagements:
•  American Civil War (1861 - 1865)
•  Spanish-American War (1898)
•  Philippine-American War (1899 - 1902)

Biography:

Biography
of
George Dewey
Admiral of the Navy

The Early Years

George Dewey was born the day after Christmas in 1837, in a location directly opposite the Vermont State House, in Montpelier, VT. He was the third child, and the third son, of Julius Yemans Dewey and his first wife, Mary Perrin. Julius was a physician who received his degree from The University of Vermont. He was also one the founders of the National Life Insurance Company in 1848. A member of the Episcopal Church, he was among the founders of the Christ Episcopal Church in Montpelier, where George was baptized and attended Sunday school. George had two older brothers and a younger sister.

Dewey went to school in the nearby town of Johnson. When he was fifteen years old, he attended the Norwich Military School for two years (1852-1854). Better known as Norwich University, the school was founded by Alden Partridge for the purpose of providing cadets with a well-rounded military education. Dewey found his military role model when he read a biography of Hannibal.

Naval Academy

On 23 September 1854, Dewey was appointed Acting Midshipman from the first Congressional District of Vermont when he entered the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, MD. Only established nine years earlier, the conventional four-year course had just been introduced in 1851. The cadet corps was quite small, averaging about one hundred Acting Midshipmen. Out of all that entered in 1854, only fourteen remained to graduate on 18 June 1858. At graduation, Dewey ranked fifth in his class and was warranted Midshipman, to date from 11 June of that year.

Midshipman

As a midshipman, Dewey first took a practice cruise in the ship USS Saratoga (1842) and here he earned recognition as a cadet officer. As a result, he was assigned to one of the best ships of the old navy - the steam frigate USS Wabash (1855). The Wabash, under Captain Samuel Barron, was the new flagship of the Mediterranean Squadron. On 22 July 1858, the ship left Hampton Roads for Europe. Wabash stopped at her first port of call, Gibraltar, on 17 August 1858. She cruised in the Mediterranean, and the cadet officers visited the "old world" cities accessible to them, often taking trips inland. Dewey was assigned to keep the ship's log. The Wabash returned to the New York Navy Yard on 16 December 1859 and decommissioned there on 20 December 1859. Dewey later wrote in his autobiography that "The Wabash was quite the finest ship of the foreign fleet and also the largest." In 1860, Dewey served on two short-term cruises.

American Civil War Battles

During the Civil War, the West Gulf Blockading Squadron was engaged in the blockade of the mouth of the Mississippi River. [Dewey became a Passed Midshipman on 19 January 1861; he was warranted Master on 28 February 1861; and promoted to lieutenant on 19 April 1861.] At the end of 1861, Commander David D. Porter urged action by the Navy Department. By that time, the Confederates had formed very strong defenses along the river delta. The plan, which was put into operation in the spring of 1862, proposed a naval expedition to reduce the fortifications near the mouth of the river, and to capture New Orleans. This was to be followed by an army, under General Benjamin Franklin Butler, which would then take possession of that city and region. After that, war vessels would proceed up the river, reduce the forts along its banks and work closely with the gunboats already commanding the upper part of the valley. Later, they worked with the Union armies operating in Tennessee and northern Mississippi. Although this plan was ultimately carried out, it required more time and cost more in lives and material than was anticipated. Dewey gained much valuable experience from this operation.

Battle of Forts Jackson and St. Philip

The river defenses consisted of two strong forts, Jackson and St. Philip, on the river banks almost opposite each other. They were located about midway between the mouth of the river and New Orleans. Farther upriver was a series of strong waterside batteries at Chalmette. In addition, the Confederates had established a line of obstructions across the river below the forts. Their defenses were so strong that they believed that no naval expedition would try to attack. The Union attack was aided by Commander Porter's preliminary bombardment using mortar boats that fired a thirteen-inch shell to weaken the Confederate barriers. The boats were anchored under protection of the banks and forest located some distance below the forts. For several days, continuous gunfire rained down upon the fortifications, destroying half of them and overcoming a large part of the Confederate garrisons. This conflict is known as the Battle of Forts Jackson and St. Philip.

Capture of New Orleans

The Capture of New Orleans followed. At the end of the preliminary bombardment, an attempt was made to get past the forts and the Confederate vessels gathered near them. This operation began on 24 April 1862 with the fleet moving forward in three divisions. The first was under the command of Captain Theodorus Bailey in the USS Cayuga (1861); followed closely by the USS Pensacola (1859)(later under Dewey's command); and finally by the USS Mississippi (1841), in which Dewey was executive lieutenant. These big ships kept near the west bank where the current was weaker and the water deeper. However, this brought them right under the muzzles of the guns of Fort St. Philip, which had suffered only minor damage from the mortar boats. Dewey guided the Mississippi into shallow water (where he expected to run aground any minute) and conducted a successful attack against the fortifications.

CSS Manassas

The Confederates had an iron-covered ram called CSS Manassas - a cigar-shaped craft that was almost wholly submerged. Originally built as an icebreaker, the bow had a sharp iron nose capable of piercing a ship's hull beneath the water line. Manassas had rushed down the river striking at everything in her way. As Pensacola slowed up across the river from Fort St. Philip to allow her crew to fire more effectively into the garrison, Manassas suddenly appeared from behind her and rushed toward the Mississippi. But Dewey was able to steer his helm to escape her sharp bow and then fire his gun into her. Manassas, her upper structure pierced with Dewey's shot, but with her machinery undamaged, continued to attack and nearly destroyed both the Brooklyn and Hartford before she was driven away. Then she turned and chased Bailey's ships, which were leading the way toward New Orleans. Commodore David Farragut signaled the Mississippi to run her down. Dewey gave the order and Mississippi attacked. But just as Mississippi was about to ride over Manassas, she dodged the blow by a quick turn of the helm and ran ashore, where the crew abandoned the grounded vessel. Commander Smith sent a boat's crew to set fire to it and, when they returned, they scuttled it with cannon fire.

After getting past the forts, Mississippi sailed up the river with the leading ships until they reached the Chalmette batteries and destroyed their garrisons. Mississippi was then sent back with others to a waiting position near the forts in order to protect the landing of Butler's troops. This was the first battle in which Dewey distinguished himself. For the remainder of that year, all that Farragut's fleet attempted to do was to patrol the lower river. This was dangerous duty, as the banks swarmed with sharpshooters lying in wait among the trees. Occasionally, a lull in the fighting would give the Confederates an opportunity to erect a concealed artillery battery. They would also run two or three field guns up behind the natural barricade offered by the levee, and unexpectedly open fire upon ships passing near the shore, or lying at anchor.

Battle of Port Hudson

At Port Hudson, LA, the Confederates had been constructing and strengthening their second line of defense of the river valley, until they considered it impregnable. The Union forces had been unable to prevent this but, when the spring campaign of 1863 began, it was so important for the river to be opened that Farragut resolved to try to run by the Port Hudson batteries, if he could not demolish them. The whole fleet was prepared to make this attempt at midnight on 14 March 1863. In this battle, Dewey would see the fiercest fighting he would ever experience in his naval career.

Port Hudson was a small town on the east bank of the Mississippi, 13 miles upriver from Baton Rouge. The city is at a point where, even in the daylight and during peacetime, the river makes the passage a cause of anxiety for pilots. In the spring of 1863 a crescent-shaped series of powerful fortifications, with a concentric field of fire, bordered the outside of the bend. To aid the gunners at night, the water was illuminated by setting fire to huge beacons and rafts of pine knots. The Confederates also had the assistance of submarine torpedoes in the channel, and of several armed vessels and rams which, together, made any attempt by an enemy fleet to attack, or run past, very hazardous. Nevertheless, Commodore Farragut, with the consensus of his captains, prepared to try it.

The fleet, led by the flagship USS Hartford (1858), stole quietly up the river in the midnight darkness and was not discovered until it was already opposite the forts. Following the flagship came the USS Richmond (1860) with her guns blazing and then came the USS Monongahela (1862), the USS Kineo (1861) and, finally, the Mississippi with George Dewey as executive officer, under Melancton Smith as commander. The furious battle that ensued at Port Hudson has been declared by the officers and seamen who were engaged in it, and by those who were present at the passage of Fort St. Philip and Fort Jackson, as the most ferocious battle in the naval history of the Civil War.

The Hartford got safely past and sailed on. But onboard the Richmond, a mechanical mishap compelled her to try to turn around and escape before it was too late, which she did successfully. However, while at the very center of the semicircle of shore batteries, Mississippi, close behind Richmond, ran aground and all of the enemy's fire was concentrated directly upon her. This barrage of fire continued for half an hour, riddling her hull, ruining her upper works, and smashing her machinery. During this entire time, Mississippi was returning fire with such intensity that over two hundred and fifty shots were sent ashore in spite of the damage inflicted upon her. Captain Smith, seeing that there could be no hope of saving Mississippi, ordered her abandoned. The boats were then manned and the wounded were transported to the Union gunboat USS Genessee (1862), which had approached to render assistance. The crew was mostly landed in safety on the west bank, and a journey was made to and from the Richmond to place wounded men and officers on her.

During the entire time Mississippi was being evacuated, fire from the onshore batteries continued and Captain Smith and Lieutenant Dewey stayed aboard to direct operations. A crew member was sent to set fire to the forward storeroom, and did so; but before the blaze was fully underway, three of the enemy's cannonballs came through that part of the ship and let in enough water to drown the flames. Other fires were then started in the cabins and hull and the last boatload of crew waited to make sure that they were well underway; they did not want to allow the Confederates to capture a good ship. Then Captain Smith and Lieutenant Dewey escaped by boat to the Richmond, a mile below. Lightened in weight by the fire and by the removal of some three hundred crewmen, Mississippi lifted from the mud and floated down the river, firing her still loaded guns and exploding the shells that lay upon her decks. At that point, she became dangerous to the Richmond and the other Federal ships near which she drifted.

Assignment to the USS Agawam

Dewey was highly complimented, not only by his immediate superiors, but by Farragut himself. Farragut appointed him executive officer of the USS Agawam (1863), a small gunboat that the admiral frequently used as a dispatch boat, and for his personal reconnoitering. This little vessel was frequently fired at by concealed sharpshooters or temporary shore batteries. In July of that year, these attacks brought about a small engagement at Donaldsonville, Louisiana, in which Captain Abner Read, commander of the Monongahela, was killed and his executive officer severely wounded. Dewey was present and his gallantry was so visible that he was recommended for promotion on the strength of it. Meanwhile, he was given temporary command of the frigate.

Assignment to the USS Colorado

In the latter part of 1864, after some service in the James River under Commander McComb, Lieutenant Dewey was made executive officer of the first-rate wooden man-of-war USS Colorado (1856), which was stationed on the North Atlantic blockading squadron under the command of Commodore Henry Knox Thatcher.

Battles of Fort Fisher

Blockades were an exceedingly important part of the war plan. A blockade was never made so perfect that vessels could not pass through, but it became nearly so toward the close of the war. This was a matter of international importance, as well as for its aggressive value in stopping the Confederates from receiving the foreign supplies upon which they so largely depended.

Large numbers of blockade runners were either captured or driven ashore and wrecked. The profit on a single cargo that passed either way in safety was very great, and special vessels for blockade running were built in England. The Confederate government enacted a law providing that a set percentage of every cargo brought into its ports had to consist of arms or ammunition; otherwise the vessel and all its cargo would be confiscated. This threat ensured a constant supply. Clothing and equipment for the Confederate armies came from the same source and to pay for these things, the Confederates sent out cotton, tobacco, rice, and the naval stores produced by the North Carolina forests. Strenuous efforts were constantly made to shut off this trade and communication that essentially made the traders of Great Britain and other European nations, allies of the confederacy. Officers such as Lieutenant George Dewey had established that they were badly needed, especially in the North Atlantic division, which covered such ports as Wilmington, North Carolina, where blockade running flourished.

A powerful expedition, in which the navy was to co-operate with the army, was organized against Fort Fisher, at the mouth of Cape Fear River, in the early winter of 1864-1865. Its purpose was to close the port of Wilmington and diminish the only coast fortification left to the South. An attack delivered at Christmas proved a failure, and the land forces were largely withdrawn for service elsewhere. This conflict is known as the First Battle of Fort Fisher (7-27 December 1864) and it was followed by the Second Battle of Fort Fisher (13-15 January 1865). [Dewey was promoted to lieutenant commander on 3 March 1865.]

The navy remained and, in the middle of January, made a second attack assisted by some soldiers under Terry, who were reinforced by marines and sailors from the ships. This was one of the hardest fought engagements on land and sea of the Civil War and it resulted in a Federal victory, in which the navy, afloat and ashore, carried off the principal honors. The Colorado, being a wooden ship, was placed in the line outside the monitors and other armored vessels but got her full share of conflict. Toward the end of the second engagement, when matters were moving the right way, Admiral Porter signaled Commodore Thatcher to close in and silence a certain part of the works. Since the ship had already received considerable damage, her officers protested. But Dewey, who had now acquired significant tactical ability, was quick to see the advantage to be gained by the move and the work was done 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 and he tried to take Dewey with him as his fleet captain when he went to supersede Farragut at Mobile Bay. This was not allowed, but Dewey was promoted to lieutenant commander.

Post-Civil War & Peacetime Assignments

After the end of the Civil War, Lieutenant Commander Dewey remained in active service, and was sent to the European station as executive officer of the USS Kearsarge (1861), the famous old ship that had sunk the privateer CSS Alabama.

Dewey's next tour of duty was in 1867-68 as executive officer of the Colorado, the same vessel in which he had won his honors at Fort Fisher; it was now the flagship of the European Squadron. The admiral in command of the ship and squadron was Louis M. Goldsborough. Some tranquil years followed the end of Dewey's cruise in the Colorado. For two years, from 1868-70, he was an instructor at the Naval Academy. The following year he did special surveying work in the steamer USS Narragansett. In 1872, Dewey was given command of that vessel and spent nearly four years in her, engaged in the service of the Pacific Coast Survey. [Dewey was promoted to commander on 13 April 1872.]

Lighthouse Board

This duty gave him a period of rest on shore. He was ordered to Washington, DC, and made lighthouse inspector in 1880. Subsequently, he became Secretary of the Lighthouse Board, a service in which he took great interest. As a bureau officer of high rank, Dewey's stay in Washington gave him an extensive list of acquaintances and he became one of the most popular men in the city. He was even a member of the Metropolitan Club, the leading social club of Washington.

Assignment to the USS Dolphin

In 1882, his leave of absence in Washington came to an end when he was sent to the Asiatic station in command of the USS Juniata (1862), where he studied the situation with care and acquired information that became of immense importance ten years later.

Dewey reached the rank of captain on 27 September 1884 and he was ordered home and given command of the USS Dolphin (PG-24), one of the first four of the original "Squadron of Evolution." (The Squadron of Evolution -sometimes referred to as the "White Squadron"- was a transitional unit in the United States Navy during the late 19th century. It was composed of the cruisers USS Atlanta (1884); USS Boston (1884); USS Chicago (1885); USS Yorktown (PG-1); and the dispatch boat USS Dolphin (PG-24). Having both full-rigged masts and steam engines, it was influential in the beginning of steel shipbuilding in the United States.) As a dispatch boat, Dolphin was often used as the president's yacht.

In 1885, Captain Dewey undertook another tour of sea service, and for three years was in command of the Pensacola, familiar to him in the New Orleans battles, it was now flagship of the European squadron.

Asiatic Squadron

In returning to Washington in 1893 and again being attached to the lighthouse board, Dewey resumed the life of a bureau officer. He remained there until 28 February 1896 when he was commissioned commodore, and transferred to the board of inspection and survey.

In 1897, Dewey felt that his health was suffering in the climate and inaction of Washington, so he applied for sea duty. His request was granted and he was assigned to the command of the Asiatic station. He felt certain, as did so many others in Washington that year, that war with Spain was imminent, although a few thought of the Philippines as a field of serious war.

The Commodore hoisted his pennant in Hong Kong in December 1897 and immediately began preparations for wartime service. As early as January 1898, the Navy Department began to send him instructions, as it was doing to other commanders under the administration of Secretary of Navy John D. Long, and Assistant Secretary of Navy Theodore Roosevelt. In January, Dewey was ordered to retain all enlisted men whose terms had expired; a month later, he was told to keep the USS Olympia (C-6), instead of sending her back to San Francisco. He was instructed to assemble all his squadron at Hong Kong and to fill all the bunkers with coal. At the same time, the cruiser USS Baltimore (C-3) was dispatched to him from the United States, via Hawaii. At Honolulu, Baltimore was met by the steamer USS Mohican (1883) from San Francisco, which transferred to her a shipload of ammunition sent in advance of its possible use.

Dewey's ships were scattered up and down the Asiatic coast but, by the end of March, the whole squadron, except the antiquated wooden USS Monocacy (1864), had been gathered in the port of Hong Kong with their coal and stores replenished. Then came a period of waiting while the commodore was constantly making preparations. First he sent the fleet paymaster over to the consignees of the English steamship USS Nanshan (AG-3), and bought her as she was, with 3,300 tons of coal on board. Then he bought the USS Zafiro (1884), a steamship of the Manila-Hong Kong line, just as she was, with all her fuel and provisions. On her they placed all the spare ammunition so that she became the magazine of the fleet.

On April 18, the USS McCulloch (1897) joined the squadron. She was a revenue cutter but was as good as a gunboat. She was built of steel, had 1,500 tons displacement, and carried four 4-inch guns and a crew of one hundred and thirty men. On the 21st, when General Woodford was leaving Madrid, and Señor Luís Polo de Bernabé was slipping out of Washington, the Baltimore appeared, making a powerful addition to the fleet. She also brought her load of ammunition, which made her doubly welcome.

Since the daily news published in Hong Kong now made war seem certain, all the white Navy vessels were repainted war-gray, and the last possible preparations were made. Then a cable brought word of the declaration of war, effective from 22 April; it also told of England's declaration of neutrality. As a result, word was sent to the American commander by the Governor of Hong Kong informing him that his vessels could no longer be harbored there. That was no hardship; the ships were as completely outfitted as they needed to be and only a few miles away were the Chinese waters of Mirs Bay, where nobody would, or could, interfere with their anchorage. Dewey moved his ships to Mirs Bay on 25 April, leaving the McCulloch to bring last dispatches and, the next day she joined the fleet in a hurry, taking to Dewey the following fateful message from the Government of the United States:

'Dewey, Asiatic Squadron: "War has commenced between the United States and Spain. Proceed at once to Philippine Islands. Commence operations at once, particularly against the Spanish fleet. You must capture vessels or destroy. Use utmost endeavors. Long."

This message with its orders was received on the 26th. At 2:00 p.m. the next day, 27 April, Dewey's squadron left Mirs Bay for the Philippine Islands in search of another squadron of warships as large, new, and well-armed as itself, to seek the first naval encounter of modern ships using modern ordnance.

Spanish-American War & Battle of Manila Bay

On 27 April 1898, Dewey sailed from China aboard his flagship, Olympia, with orders to attack the Spanish fleet at Manila Bay. He stopped at the mouth of the bay late on the night of 30 April; the following morning he gave the order to attack at first light by saying the now famous words "You may fire when you are ready, Gridley." [Captain Charles Vernon Gridley took command of Admiral Dewey's famous flagship, Olympia, on 27 April 1898. During the Battle of Manila Bay on 1 May 1898, Dewey gave his famous command, "You may fire when you are ready, Gridley," thereby immortalizing the captain.]

Within 6 hours on 1 May 1898, Dewey had 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 American life. [Dewey was promoted to rear admiral on 11 May 1898.] Dewey aided General Wesley Merritt in taking formal possession of Manila on 13 August 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. [Dewey was appointed Admiral on 2 March 1899.]

Hero

The totality of Dewey's victory suddenly brought to the world a sharp awareness of the United States as a naval power. When he returned to the United States in 1899, Dewey received a hero's welcome. However, it is somewhat debatable whether New York City's September 1899 "Welcome Home" celebration for Dewey was: (1) a two-day parade to honor Dewey's heroism in the Philippines; or (2) promoting the potential for American colonialism in Asia. Newspapers transformed Dewey into the epitome of American superiority by highlighting his leadership capabilities and accentuating the strength and masculinity of his features. Dewey's swift, easy victory emboldened the William McKinley administration in its decision to place the Philippines under American control.

Dewey returned to America to a hero's welcome and a special military decoration, the Battle of Manila Bay Medal (commonly called the Dewey Medal), was struck in honor of his achievement at Manila Bay and awarded to every officer, sailor and Marine present at the battle.

Presidential Candidate

After Dewey's return from the Spanish-American War, many suggested he run for President on the Democratic ticket in 1900. 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 would "execute the laws of Congress as faithfully as I have always executed the orders of my superiors." A short time later he admitted that he had never voted in a presidential election. Dewey drew even more criticism when he offhandedly told a newspaper reporter that "Our next war will be with Germany."

Dewey withdrew from the race in mid-May 1900 and endorsed William McKinley. In 1900 he was named president of the newly established General Board of the Navy Department, which set basic policy. He served in this post until his death.

Admiral of the Navy

By a Congressional Act of 24 March 1903, Dewey's rank was established as Admiral of the Navy, effective retroactively to 2 March 1899. No other American Naval Officer has been awarded that rank.

Medals Awarded by the United States Government

The dates indicate the year the medal was awarded.

Civil War Campaign Medal (1908)
Battle of Manila Bay Medal (also known as "Dewey Medal") (1898)
Spanish Campaign Medal (1908)
Philippine Campaign Medal (1908)

Other 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 U.S. Navy have borne the name USS Dewey, including an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, USS Dewey (DDG-105) that began construction in 2005 and christened on 26, January 2008.

Thomasville, GA, 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 to Dewey's victory at Manila Bay.

Dewey Beach, DE, is named in honor of Admiral Dewey.

In 1899, Mills Novelty released a slot machine named The Dewey, in honor of Admiral Dewey.

The main town of 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, CO, 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 Wharton, NJ, is named in honor of Admiral Dewey.

Dewey Blvd, now known as 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, TX, 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, MN, is named after Admiral Dewey.

Admiral Dewey (tugboat) was named for him.

Personal

Dewey was energetic, competent, a good leader, and vain. He wore "spiffy" clothes and a handlebar mustache and, thanks to inherited wealth, he lived in style. He often went horseback riding with Theodore Roosevelt in Washington's Rock Creek Park and he was a fellow member of Washington's prestigious Metropolitan Club.

While Dewey was assigned to duty in the navy yard at Portsmouth, NH, he met the woman who became his wife. She was Susan "Susie" Boardman Goodwin (1844-1872), daughter of Ichabod Goodwin, Governor of New Hampshire, and his wife Sarah Parker Rice. Goodwin was a Democrat who fitted out troops for the war at his own expense. Dewey and Susie were married at Governor Goodwin's Mansion on 24 October 1867. They had one son, George Goodwin Dewey (23 December 1872 - 10 February 1963). On 28 December 1872, Susie died five days after giving birth. She was only 28 years of age. Susan Boardman Goodwin Dewey is buried at Proprietors Burying Ground, Portsmouth, Rockingham County, NH.

In November 1899, Dewey angered some Protestants by marrying Catholic Mildred McLean Hazen (the widow of General William Babcock Hazen and daughter of Washington McLean, the owner of The Washington Post) and giving her the house that the nation had given him following the war.

Death and Burial

Admiral of the Navy George Dewey died in Washington, DC, on 16 January 1917. He is interred in the Bethlehem Chapel, on the crypt level, at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, DC.



Honoree ID: 2   Created by: MHOH

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