U.S. Navy Rear Admiral, Governor of Guam. Richard Phillips Leary entered the United States Naval Academy in 1860. His first assignment was in the blockading squadron off Charleston, South Carolina in the later part of the American Civil War. After the war, he was assigned duty aboard the sloop-of-war "Canandaigua" on the European Station from 1865 to 1868 and afterward assigned to the "Dictator" from 1870 to 1873. He would also serve sea duty on the steamer "Wyandotte," the sloop-of-war "Iroquois" and the frigate "Adams". In 1888 Leary was the Commanding Officer of the "Adams" in the international incident with the German corvette, the "Adler" serving in Samoan waters. Leary was protesting the bombardment of an island village on Mauna by the Germans. The Germans were going to resume the bombardment when Leary put his ship between the "Adler" and the village to be bombed. The maneuver prevented further damage to the village and the incident ended. Leary was promoted to Captain in 1897 and was given command of the cruiser "San Francisco," which was off Havana during the Spanish American War. He was appointed the first U.S. Naval Governor of Guam on January 12, 1899 by President McKinley and remained there until 1900 when he requested that he be allowed to return home for health reasons. His next command was the receiving ship "Richmond" at the League Island Navy Yard in Philadelphia. In 1901 Leary was granted leave due to his health. He died in late 1901 at the naval hospital in Chelsea, Massachusetts. He was promoted to Rear Admiral posthumously. The destroyer "USS Richard P. Leary" was named in his honor and commissioned in 1944 and would receive six battle stars in World War II. He was married and had two sons. His personal papers concerning his naval career are achieved at the Naval Academy.