JAMES LEONARD

1942 - 2018

James B. Leonard (Age 75)  
Of Arlington, VA, died on Saturday, September 22, 2018 after living graciously with cancer for nearly 18 years. He was born in Waltham, MA on November 13, 1942 to Robert W. and Katherine S. Leonard. He grew up in Poultney, Vermont and graduated from Harvard College in 1964 and the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1967.  After a 1969-70 Foreign Service posting to Bonn, Germany, he worked at the U.S. Office of Economic Opportunity as the legal adviser to OEO's Legal Services Program. For the next 22 years, he was a lawyer with the Solicitor's Office of the U.S. Department of Labor, serving as the Deputy Associate Solicitor for Fair Labor Standards and as the first Associate Regional Solicitor in Arlington, Virginia. In retirement, he continued his advocacy on behalf of exploited workers with ten years of committed and effective service as a volunteer attorney for Farmworker Justice, the Child Labor Coalition, the AFL-CIO, the National Employment Law Project, and Human Rights Watch. He was a man of endless curiosity, impressive erudition, and irrepressible humor. He was committed to the values of fairness and justice in every aspect of his life, and above all he was devoted to his family and his many friends, whom he loved without reservation and who returned his love in full measure.  He was predeceased by his parents. He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Joan; his son Jeremy of London, UK, and his daughter, Anne (Alex Millet) of Chicago, IL; and his four grandchildren, Eva, Harold, and Alistair Leonard and Arthur Millet. He is also survived by a brother, Stephen (Marilyn), a sister Elisabeth Siegmund (Fred), a brother-in-law Douglas Stauffer (Sandra), five nieces and nephews, and three grand-nieces. A memorial gathering will be held at a future date.