Leonard Niederlehner (October 12, 1914 - December 10, 1991) was an American lawyer who served as Deputy General Counsel for the Department of Defense for nearly four decades, from 1953 until his death in 1991.[1][2][3]

Leonard Niederlehner
Deputy General Counsel of Defense
In office
1953 – December 10, 1991
President
General Counsel of Defense
(Acting)
In office
August 7, 1987 – October 25, 1987
PresidentRonald Reagan
Preceded byHenry L. Garrett III
Succeeded byKathleen A. Buck
In office
January 20, 1981 – April 1, 1981
PresidentRonald Reagan
Preceded byTogo D. West Jr.
Succeeded byWilliam Howard Taft IV
In office
October 15, 1979 – February 1, 1980
PresidentJimmy Carter
Preceded byDeanne C. Siemer
In office
August 6, 1975 – January 1, 1976
PresidentGerald Ford
Preceded byMartin Richard Hoffman
Succeeded byRichard A. Wiley
In office
May 22, 1973 – March 13, 1974
PresidentRichard Nixon
Preceded byJ. Fred Buzhardt
Succeeded byMartin Richard Hoffmann
In office
August 1, 1967 – August 20, 1970
PresidentLyndon B. Johnson
Richard Nixon
Preceded byPaul Warnke
Succeeded byJ. Fred Buzhardt
In office
July 1, 1964 – September 19, 1966
PresidentLyndon B. Johnson
Preceded byJohn McNaughton
Succeeded byPaul Warnke
Assistant General Counsel of Defense
(Logistics)
In office
1952–1953
Personal details
Born
Leonard Niederlehner

(1914-10-12)October 12, 1914
Cincinnati, Ohio
DiedDecember 10, 1991(1991-12-10) (aged 77)
Arlington County, Virginia
SpouseHelen Warfield
ChildrenJames R. Niederlehner
Barbara Niederlehner Willis
John L. Niederlehner
EducationUniversity of Cincinnati (BL)
Military service
Branch/serviceUnited States Navy Reserve
Years of service1942-1946
RankLieutenant commander

Biography

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Niederlehner was born on October 12, 1914, in Cincinnati, Ohio, to Louis William Niederlehner and Agnes Clark.[citation needed] He attended the University of Cincinnati and graduated with a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1937 and passed the Ohio bar that same year. In 1938 he moved to Washington, D.C., and worked as a secretary for Congressman Herbert S. Bigelow. He later served as a lawyer for the Federal Security Agency in 1941 and served during World War II in the United States Navy Reserve as a lieutenant commander. After the war he was counsel for the Navy's Bureau of Yards and Docks and later for the Army-Navy Munitions Board. In 1952 he became assistant general counsel for logistics in the Department of Defense, and he served in that capacity until 1953 when he was named deputy general counsel. He would serve on and off as acting general counsel a total of seven times.

He received the Rockefeller Public Service Award in 1961, four Department of Defense Distinguished Civilian Service medals, the National Civil Service League Award in 1965, the President's Medal for Distinguished Civilian Service in 1979, the President's Award for Meritorious Executive in 1980, the Department of Defense Distinguished Public Service Award in 1981 and the presidential rank of Meritorious Executive in 1985 and 1991.

He was former Arlington District Chairman of the Boy Scouts, and he had received the Silver Beaver Award for contributions to scouting. He was a member of Cherrydale United Methodist Church in Arlington and an enthusiastic sailor.

Personal life

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Niederlehner married Helen Warfield on July 2, 1948, and had three children, James, Barbara and John. They had four grandchildren. Helen died in 1983.

References

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  1. ^ "LEONARD NIEDERLEHNER DIES AT 77". Washington Post. December 14, 1991. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
  2. ^ Joseph A Califano JR (2009-04-27). Inside: A Public and Private Life. ISBN 9780786737789.
  3. ^ Corn, Geoffrey S.; Vanlandingham, Rachel E.; Reeves, Shane R. (2016). U.S. Military Operations: Law, Policy, and Practice. ISBN 9780190456634.