Richard Phillips Leary (3 November 1842 – 27 December 1901) was an admiral in the United States Navy who served from the American Civil War through the Spanish-American War.

Leary was born 3 November 1842 in Baltimore, Md. He entered the United States Naval Academy in 1860. During the Civil War, he served in screw sloop Canandaigua and monitor Sangamon assigned to the Atlantic blockade.

During tension with Germany over Samoa, Leary commanded Adams at Samoa from October to December 1888. In the Spanish-American War, he commanded San Francisco (C-5) off Havana, Cuba. From 1899 into 1900, Captain Leary served as Naval Governor of Guam. Retiring in 1901, Rear Admiral Leary died 27 December at Chelsea, Mass.

In 1943, the destroyer USS Richard P. Leary (DD-664) was named in his honor.

References

1842 births | 1901 deaths | United States Navy admirals | Governors of Guam