Dewey, George

(born Dec. 26, 1837, Montpelier, Vt., U.S.—died Jan. 16, 1917, Washington, D.C.) U.S. naval commander. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1858 and served with Union naval forces in the American Civil War. In 1897 he commanded the U.S. Asiatic Squadron. In the Spanish-American War he sailed from Hong Kong to the Philippines to defeat the Spanish fleet at the Battle of Manila Bay (1898); he opened fire with the command, “You may fire when you are ready, Gridley.” His victory, with no loss of U.S. ships, led to U.S. acquisition of the Philippines. In 1899 Congress created for him the rank of admiral of the navy.

Source: Encyclopedia Britannica