John Leary (November 1, 1837 – February 8, 1905) was an American businessman and politician who was a key civic leader in Seattle, Washington.

He participated in many other Seattle projects, including railroads, mining, banking, water and gas works, steamship operations, law, and others.

Leary was born on November 1, 1837, to a family of Irish descent, in Saint John, New Brunswick, on the Eastern coast of Canada.

[21] The Meduxnekeag riverbed spans from the confluence of its North and South Branches near Houlton, Maine in the United States to Woodstock in Canada.

[1][23] Unlike the typical Washington Territory entrepreneur of the time, Leary didn't limit himself to a particular area of business, but engaged in a panoply of activities.

[26] In the words of Samuel L. Crawford, a Washingtonian journalist of the time,[27] "Mr. Leary had an unusually active mind and was a great promoter.

[28][29] Nevertheless, by the beginning of the 20th century, Leary had accumulated a fortune estimated at $2 million ($53,000,000[note 2]), mostly from his investments in Seattle real estate.

[6][39][38][40] In 1872, Leary opened the Talbot coal mine (located in present-day Renton) with partners John Collins, James F. McNaught and Michael Padden.

The parties explored the West Coast towards Cape Flattery, the Skagit and Similkameen rivers, and parts of Eastern Washington.

Among Leary's partners in this enterprise were William S. Ladd, a famous banker from Oregon; Henry Yesler, Seattle's richest citizen, C.L.

[29] In 1890, together with several partners, Leary purchased the Seattle Trade Journal, which was established in 1888 by Edmond S. Meany and Alexander Begg.

[60] Leary's multiple investments in real estate were based on his firm belief in the future of Washington Territory, and in Seattle in particular.

[6] For example, in 1883, together with Judge Thomas Burke and William R. Ballard, Leary purchased 700 acres (280 ha) of land on Salmon Bay.

It was considered the most prestigious piece of commercial real estate and the biggest office building in Seattle at the time.

Constructed in a joint venture with Henry Yesler in 1883 at a cost of over $100,000 ($3,000,000[note 2]), this office building was destroyed in the Great Seattle Fire on June 6, 1889.

At the time, the League was led by the "moralistic elements," including recently enfranchised women activists who lobbied for liquor and gambling regulations.

Later, Leary damaged the relationship with his conservative supporters by allowing raids on saloons and houses of prostitution in attempt to "placate women's and reform groups.

He worked on improving downtown streets, and pleasantly surprised Seattleites by investing his own money to plank 1st Avenue—Seattle's first street-paving project.

[10] In late 1885–early 1886, "anti-Chinese agitation" (a result of race antagonism, business depression, and poor enforcement of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882) occurred in many Western cities.

[72] As the agitation reached Seattle, Leary attempted to convince the Chinese to leave the city before any violence had occurred, but he was unsuccessful.

[75][76][24][77] In 1892, during an economic downturn, Leary ran for mayor again on a Republican ticket, but lost to Democrat Judge James T.

He sold one of his hotels for $600 ($16,000[note 2]) and used the proceedings to purchase a large quantity of piles, sinking them in straight lines along a potential railroad bed leading into Seattle.

[81] The situation was exacerbated by the fact that Northern Pacific Railroad had invested massively in Tacoma real estate and was actively luring Seattleites to relocate there.

Several prominent citizens backed the project financially, including Arthur Denny, John Collins, Franklin Mathias, Angus Mackintosh, Henry Yesler, James McNaught, J. J. McGilvra, J. M. Colman, and Dexter Horton, but Leary wasn't among the investors.

An ensuing legal battle would have resulted in a delay, leading to the violation of the financial agreement with New York bankers and thus endangering the entire operation.

[92] Leary contributed by organizing the Seattle Steam Navigation & Transportation Company, incorporated with $500,000 ($13,000,000[note 2]) of capital stock.

Leary served as the company's first president alongside other principal investors: Jacob Furth, Edward Neufelder, W.R. Ballard, and H.G.

[6] He married his first wife, Mary Blanchard, on November 26, 1858, in Littleton, Maine they had a son named Mario born in 1878 and died in 1965.

In 1903, Leary started the construction of a new family home at a prime location in Capitol Hill, overlooking Lake Washington.

Mary B. Leary was the founder and president of the Ladies Relief Society of Seattle, organized in 1884 to help unfortunate families and individuals.