Scott Leary

John Scott Leary (December 29, 1881 – July 1, 1958) was an American freestyle swimmer who competed in the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis, Missouri. He won a silver medal in the 50-yard freestyle and a bronze medal in the 100-yard freestyle.

In June 1901, the San Francisco Call reported that Leary had set a new world record in the 50 yard dash with a time of 29.2 seconds, though it seems probable English swimmer John Derbyshire had already eclipsed that time. In January 1906, the Call reported he had set a new American amateur record in that distance with the time of 26.2, 0.4 seconds faster than the previous record set by J.W. Lawrence in 1905.

In August 1901, the Call reported that Leary had set a new American record in the 100 yard swim by 1:03.5, besting the prior record by 2.5 seconds. In July 1905, it reported he had a set new world record in the event at one minute flat, an improvement of 2.8 seconds on the prior world record.

Leary was later a starting official for swim events.