George F. Emmons

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George Foster Emmons (August 23, 1811 – July 23, 1884) was a rear admiral in the United States Navy. He was born in Clarendon, Vermont, and began his Navy career as a midshipman in 1828. While serving on the USS Peacock, he joined the Wilkes Exploring Expedition (1838–1842), which explored the Pacific and the Antarctic region. He led the expedition’s overland survey team from Puget Sound to San Francisco.

Emmons fought in both the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War. As commander of the OSSIPEE from 1867 to 1868, he helped bring Alaska under U.S. possession. He was promoted to commodore in 1868, became chief of the Hydrographic Office in 1870, and reached rear admiral in 1872. He commanded the Philadelphia Navy Yard until his retirement in 1873.

He died in Princeton, New Jersey, on July 23, 1884, at age 72, and is buried in Green Mount Cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland. In 1941, the destroyer USS Emmons (DD-457) was named in his honor.