Capt. Robert F. Legge, a United States Navy physician, swam the Panama Canal in 1958 with a time just under 22 hours and was given The Master Key to the Panama Canal in the grade of Honorary Vessel. – WTF Fun Facts
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/1958/10/13/archives/panama-canal-is-swum-in-less-than-22-hours.html