Jerris Leonard

Jerris Leonard
Member of the Wisconsin Senate from the 4th district
In office 1961–1969
Preceded by	Rod Johnston
Succeeded by	Henry Bodenstab
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 19th district
In office 1957–1961
Preceded by	William Kasik
Personal details
Born	January 17, 1931 Chicago, Illinois
Died	July 27, 2006(2006-07-27) (aged 75) Bethesda, Maryland
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Mariellen C. Mathie
Alma mater	Marquette University

Jerris Leonard (January 17, 1931 – July 27, 2006) was a Wisconsin lawyer and politician.^[1][2]

Background and personal life

Leonard was born on January 17, 1931 to Jerris and Marie Leonard in Chicago, Illinois.^[3] His family moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he graduated from Rufus King High School. He earned a B.S. in business administration in 1952 from Marquette University, and in 1955 earned an LL.B. from Marquette University Law School.^[4]

On August 22, 1953 he married Mariellen C. Mathie, with whom he had six children. He died on July 27, 2006 in Bethesda, Maryland.^[5]

Legislative service

Leonard was first elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1956 to succeed William Kasik from the 19th Milwaukee County district, which included the Town of Milwaukee (but not the City of Milwaukee itself), Bayside, Fox Point, Glendale, Granville, River Hills, Shorewood, and Whitefish Bay.^[4] He served two terms, and advanced to the Wisconsin State Senate in 1960, serving two terms (1961–1969). He ran against United States Senator Gaylord Nelson in the 1968 United States Senate election and was defeated.^[4]

Federal service

He was in the United States Department of Justice 1969 - 1973 during the administration of President Richard Nixon, serving as the first Administrator of the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration (LEAA).^[6]

United Sciences of America, Inc.

In the 1980s Leonard served as president of United Sciences of America, Inc., a multi-level marketing company selling nutritional supplements, which was accused of deceptive practices and false claims, and eventually filed bankruptcy.^{[7][8][9][10][11]}

References

1. ^ http://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/DC/lawyer.L.html
2. ^ http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/dictionary/index.asp?action=view&term_id=2991&keyword=leonard
3. ^ http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/leonard.html#SAL1ENJ8S
4. ^ ^{a b c} Wisconsin Blue Book, 1968 Edition, (Members of the State Senate), page 22.
5. ^ http://legis.wisconsin.gov/2007/data/SJR-7.pdf
6. ^ http://www.alldc.org/memorial/jerrisleonard.cfm
7. ^ "USA: The strange rise and fall of one MLM". Money (June 1). 1987. http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/moneymag_archive/1987/06/01/83881/index.htm. 
8. ^ Stare, F.J.; . (1986). "Marketing a nutritional "revolutionary breakthrough". Trading on names.". N Engl J Med 315 (15): 971–3. doi:10.1056/NEJM198610093151518. PMID 3762604. 
9. ^ Young, E.A.; Schenker, S., Weser, E. (1987). "United Sciences of America, Incorporated: an "optimal" diet?". Ann Intern Med. 107 (1): 101–3. PMID 3592422. 
10. ^ Renner, J.H. (1986). "Science or scam?". N Engl J Med 315 (15): 971. doi:10.1056/NEJM198610093151517. PMID 3762603. 
11. ^ Holden, C. (1986). "Scientists get flak over marketing plan". Science 234 (4780): 1063–4. doi:10.1126/science.3775374. PMID 3775374. 

Sources

• Papers of Jerris Leonard in the Wisconsin State Historical Society
• Wisconsin Senate Joint Resolution in memory of Jerris Leonard

Persondata
Name	Leonard, Jerris
Alternative names
Short description	American politician
Date of birth	January 17, 1931
Place of birth	Chicago, Illinois
Date of death	July 27, 2006
Place of death	Bethesda, Maryland