Richard Phillips Leary was born 3 November 1842 at Baltimore and entered the Naval Academy in 1860.
During the Civil War, he served in Canandaigua and Sangamon assigned to the Atlantic blockade. Later, 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 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, Massachusetts.
Source: Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Naval Historical Center. | 
