Montgomery Meigs Taylor (13 October 1869 – 21 October 1952) was an admiral in the United States Navy. He served in the Navy from 1890 to 1933, fought in the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish–American War in 1898, and later commanded the Control Fleet and the Scouting Fleet. He served as commander-in-chief of the United States Asiatic Fleet from 1931 to 1933. Early life Taylor was born on October 13, 1869, in Washington, D.C., to Joseph Hancock and Mary Meigs Taylor. He was born in the house of his grandfather, Montgomery C. Meigs, Quartermaster General of the United States Army during the American Civil War, for whom he was also named. His grand-uncle was President Zachary Taylor. His brother was John R. M. Taylor, an officer in the United States Army during the Philippine–American War. Taylor grew up in Washington, D.C., where he attended public school. Naval career Early assignments Taylor was appointed in 1886 to the United States Naval Academy, where he was an outstanding halfback on the first football team the school fielded. He graduated in 1890, and was to have trained aboard the armed steamer , but she was wrecked before he could join her. He spent the next two years aboard the screw sloop , the screw sloop , and finally the protected cruiser . He was appointed an ensign in 1892, and his first assignment was aboard the protected cruiser . He also served short stints aboard the screw sloops and and the steamer . Taylor was next assigned to the gunboat . He traveled to Shanghai, China, via commercial steamer and joined the ship in the summer of 1900. Yorktown was ordered back to the United States on 10 September 1900. Taylor disembarked at Nagasaki, Japan, and joined the protected cruiser , Admiral George Dewey's flagship, in September 1897. During the Spanish–American War of 1898, Taylor served as a battery commander aboard Olympia and took part in the Battle of Manila Bay on 1 May 1898. Taylor received a promotion to lieutenant after Olympia returned to the United States in 1899. Taylor was assigned to the full-rigged ship USS Chesapeake in November 1899 for the ship's sea trials, but after a month was ordered to leave the ship and proceed to Washington, D.C., for coursework in modern armament. In February 1900, he successfully applied for sea duty in the Pacific. Over the