Henry A. Wiley

Henry A. Wiley
Admiral Henry A. Wiley
Born	(1867-01-31)January 31, 1867 Pike County, Alabama
Died	May 20, 1943(1943-05-20) (aged 76) Palm Beach, Florida
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Navy
Years of service	1888–1929, 1941–1943
Rank	Admiral
Commands	U.S. Fleet
Battles/wars	Spanish–American War World War I World War II
Awards	Distinguished Service Medal
Other work	Chairman, U.S. Maritime Commission

Admiral Henry Ariosto Wiley (31 January 1867 – 20 May 1943) was an officer in the United States Navy during the Spanish–American War, World War I, and World War II.

Biography

Born in Pike County, Alabama, Wiley graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1888. He served on the Maple during the Spanish–American War and attained his first command, Villalobos, in 1904. During the First World War Wiley commanded battleship USS Wyoming (BB-32) attached to the 6th Battle Squadron of the British Grand Fleet and received the Distinguished Service Medal for his "outstanding performance."

After various shore and fleet commands, he was appointed Admiral in 1927 and served as Commander-in-chief, United States Fleet, until his retirement in 1929 after over 40 years of service.

Wiley wrote his memoirs in 1934.

Wiley served in the years that followed as Chairman of the Maritime Commission and in other important government posts until being recalled to active duty in 1941. In the next year, he headed the Navy Board of Production Awards.

Wiley retired once more 2 January 1943 and died 20 May 1943 at Palm Beach, Florida. He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery four days later.

Namesake

USS Henry A. Wiley was named for him.

Wiley Hall, the main Administration Building at the United States Merchant Marine Academy is named for Admiral Wiley as the "Father of the Merchant Marine Cadet Corps".

References

 This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.