John Hubbard ( admiral ) Rear Admiral John Hubbard ( 19 May 1849 - 30 May 1932 ) was an officer in the United States Navy . He fought in the Spanish - American War , played a prominent role in the independence of Panama from Colombia in 1903 , and served as Commander - in - Chief of the United States Asiatic Fleet . Naval career . Hubbard was born in South Berwick , Maine , on 19 May 1849 , the son of John Hubbard and the former Eleanor Augusta Tucker , and entered the United States Naval Academy on 27 July 1866 . While there , he led the Academys rowing team to victory in 1870 , serving as oar stroke on a Navy crew . He graduated on 7 June 1870 . Hubbard served aboard the sloop - of - war on the European Station from 1871 to 1874 , being promoted to ensign on 13 July 1871 and to master on 15 September 1873 . He was assigned to the United States Coast Survey from 1874 to 1877 , then served on special duty aboard the steamer from 1877 to 1879 – being promoted to lieutenant on 28 December 1878 – before moving to the Asiatic Station for duty aboard the sloop - of - war from 1879 to 1883 . After duty at the Naval Torpedo Station in Newport , Rhode Island , in 1883 , Hubbard served at the Bureau of Navigation in Washington , D . C . , from 1883 to 1884 . He was on lighthouse duty from 1884 to 1886 , then on special duty at the United States Department of the Navy from 1887 to 1888 . Hubbard returned to sea in 1889 aboard the protected cruiser in the Squadron of Evolution , serving aboard her until July 1892 when he became Inspector of Ordnance . Leaving that duty in July 1895 , he was assigned to the training ship . On the eve of the Spanish - American War , Hubbard left " Essex " and reported aboard the auxiliary cruiser , then fitting out at New York City , in March 1898 . " Yankee " was commissioned on 14 April 1898 , and during the Spanish - American War participated in the blockade of Cuba , the Battle of Guantánamo Bay , and actions off Casilda and Cienfuegos . After the war , Hubbard left " Yankee " in October 1898 and was promoted to lieutenant commander on 6 October 1898 . Hubbards next duty was as ordnance officer at the New York Navy Yard in Brooklyn , New York , from November 1898 until January 1900 , when he began a tour aboard the monitor , which was serving as a gun nery training ship . In February 1901 he left " Amphitrite " to begin a second tour on lighthouse duty . He was promoted to commander in April 1901 . By November 1903 , Hubbard was the commanding officer of the gunboat operating off the Isthmus of Panama . He played a prominent role in blocking interference by Colombian troops in the separation of Panama from Colombia that month , and was noted for his leadership in preventing European countries , particularly the German Empire , from asserting authority in Panama as it became an independent country . Promoted to captain on 8 July 1905 , Hubbard became the first commanding officer of the battleship when she was commissioned on 9 March 1907 . He commanded " Minnesota " during her duties related to the Jamestown Exposition in Norfolk , Virginia , from 22 April 1907 to 3 September 1907 and during her voyage around the world as part of the " Great White Fleet " between 16 December 1907 and 22 February 1909 . Hubbard later performed special duty at the Department of the Navy and served as a member of the General Board of the United States Navy , and was promoted to rear admiral on 25 October 1909 . He was serving as Commander , 3rd Division , United States Pacific Fleet , when he visited Tokyo , Japan , in January 1910 to present a loving cup to the Imperial Japanese Navy on behalf of the United States Atlantic Fleet in recognition of the courtesy Japan had extended to the " Great White Fleet " during its visit to Japan in October 1908 ; Japanese Admiral Saitō Makoto accepted the cup as a number of dignitaries – including Admiral Heihachiro Togo and United States Ambassador to Japan Thomas J . O ' Brien – looked on . Hubbard became Commander - in - Chief of the United States Asiatic Fleet on 16 February 1910 . : Relinquishing command of the Asiatic Fleet on 16 May 1911 , Hubbard retired from the Navy upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 62 on 19 May 1911 . He died in Washington , D . C . , on the evening of 30 May 1932 . Commemoration . Hubbard Hall , also known as " The Boat House , " on Dorsey Creek at the U . S . Naval Academy in Annapolis , Maryland , is named for Hubbard . It is the home of the Academys rowing teams . Opened in 1930 , it was the first building at the Academy to be named after a living person .