Texas Legislators: Past & Present

Homer LaKirby Leonard

Full Name: Homer LaKirby Leonard
Birth date: January 14, 1899
Death date: February 14, 1979

Terms of Service

House, 49th Legislature
1/9/1945 - 1/14/1947
Democrat
House, 48th Legislature
1/12/1943 - 1/9/1945
Democrat
House, 47th Legislature
1/14/1941 - 1/12/1943
Democrat
Speaker
House, 46th Legislature
1/10/1939 - 1/14/1941
Democrat
House, 45th ⁽⁶⁾ Legislature
1/12/1937 - 1/10/1939
Unaffiliated
House, 44th ⁽⁴⁾ ⁽⁷⁾ Legislature
1/8/1935 - 1/12/1937
Unaffiliated
House, 43rd ⁽¹⁾ ⁽⁸⁾ ⁽⁹⁾ ⁽¹¹⁾ Legislature
1/10/1933 - 1/8/1935
Unaffiliated
House, 42nd ⁽²⁾ ⁽³⁾ ⁽⁵⁾ ⁽¹⁰⁾ ⁽¹²⁾ Legislature
1/13/1931 - 1/10/1933
Unaffiliated

(1) "Rep. H.L. Leonard, good government nominee of McAllen, has as his opponent John Ewing, of Donna, as the democratic nominee." "85 New Members Nominated for Lower House; Nine New Senators," 9/9/1932, p. 3. Big Spring Herald .
(2) HIDALGO COUNTY. Describes boss rule in South Texas and the efforts of the Good Government League to oust the Democratic machine headed by John Closner. Handbook of Texas Online .
(3) "[Leonard] conducted a write-in campaign at the last general electon after the supreme court ruled his party had no standing in nominating candidates for district offices," 10/4/1933, p. 8. Lubbock Morning Avalanche .
(4) File on Legislature - Members, Political Affiliation - "Political composition of the Legislature for selected years other than Democrat." Shows Leonard was Independent in 44th and 45th Legislatures, but this cannot be confirmed in LRL sources. Memo File .
(5) Elected to House in 1930 as candidate of Good Government League. Presiding Officers of the Texas Legislature, 1846-2016 2016.
(6) Independent. Republicans and Other Non-Democrats in the Texas Legislature .
(7) Independent. Republicans and Other Non-Democrats in the Texas Legislature .
(8) Independent. Republicans and Other Non-Democrats in the Texas Legislature .
(9) "Amendments Rejected by Texas: Full Democratic Ticket is Elected in Lone Star State," 11/7/1934, pp. 1-A, 9-A. "The state's only non-Democratic member of the legislature, Bodo Holekamp of Boerne, was defeated . . . Holekamp was an independent." San Antonio Light .
(10) Memorial, May 1979, p. 457. In 1930 Mr. Leonard won election to the Texas House of Representatives from Hidalgo County as a write-in candidate of the Good Government Party. Texas Bar Journal .
(11) Independent/Good Government League - Local Independent. Texas Legislative Manual .
(12) Democrat. Texas Legislative Manual .

Biographical Notes and Resources

Selected Newspaper articles

Resolutions and Journal entries

65th Legislature, R.S., HSR 80. Resolutions - Congratulatory and Honorary .
66th Legislature, R.S., HCR 66. Death date 2/14/1979. Resolutions - Memorial .

Photographs

Photograph. Homer L. Leonard, Presiding Officers of the Texas Legislature, 1846-2006
Photograph. Homer Leonard, State Preservation Board
Photograph. H.L. Leonard, State Preservation Board
Photograph. Homer L. Leonard, State Preservation Board
Photograph. Homer L. Leonard, State Preservation Board
Photograph. Homer Leonard, State Preservation Board
Photograph. Homer L. Leonard, State Preservation Board
Photograph. Homer L. Leonard, State Preservation Board
Photograph. Homer L. Leonard, State Preservation Board

Other Resources

Mentioned in "Speaker's Office Now a Prize Plum," 9/15/1980. Dallas Morning News .
56th Speaker of the House of Representatives: Homer L. Leonard. Photo and biographical sketch. Death date 2/13/1979. Presiding Officers of the Texas Legislature, 1846-2016 2016.
Memorial, May 1979, p. 457. Death date 2/14/1979. Texas Bar Journal .
Leonard, Homer LaKirby. Death date 2/14/1979. Texas State Cemetery .