He served in Maple during the Spanish-American War and attained his first command, Villalobos, in 1904.
During the First World War, Wiley commanded battleship Wyoming 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, U.S. Fleet, until his retirement in 1929 after over 40 years of service.
Admiral 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.
Admiral Wiley retired once more 2 January 1943 and died 20 May 1943 at Palm Beach, Florida.
