Background
Leach was born in Leesville in Vernon Parish in western Louisiana.
Leach was born in Leesville in Vernon Parish in western Louisiana.
He graduated from Leesville High School. In 1951, Leach attended Louisiana State University where he earned his Bachelor of Science.
He has served as the chairman of the Louisiana Democratic Party and was a Democratic candidate for Governor of Louisiana in 2003. In 1954, Leach was diagnosed with polio. He suffered from temporary paralysis but eventually recovered from the disease.
After attending college, Leach served in the United States Army from 1956 to 1959.
In 1963, he obtained his Juris Doctorate from the Louisiana State University Law Center. In 1964, he was admitted to the Louisiana State Bar Association and began a law practice career in Leesville.
After the death of his father, Leach began running the family plumbing business. Leach then sold the business after finding new jobs for all of the employees.
He later became president and Chief Executive Officer of Sweet Lake Land and Oil Company and North American Land Company in Lake Charles.
In 1968, Leach was elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives. In his first term, he served in a two-member district with fellow Democrat East. Holman Jones of Oakdale in Allen Parish. Leach was reelected in 1972 and 1976.
In 1979, he gave up his seat to run for United States. Representative in Louisiana"s 4th congressional district.
He served only one term as a United States. congressman. In 1983, Leach sought to regain his former state legislative seat.
He unseated the incumbent Democrat, William H. West. In his last term as a state legislator, Leach served on the House Ways and Means committee.
In this capacity, he recommended that a tax be placed on foreign oil processed within the state.
In 2003, Leach launched his campaign to be Governor of Louisiana. Leach campaigned on fundamentally changing the way state government operated. He suggested that the state use a "brillo pad" to "scrub the budget." Having been diagnosed with polio at a young age, the topic of fixing healthcare in Louisiana was one of his main priorities.
Many young voters were attracted to his campaign"s message.
He had teams of volunteers set up in Shreveport, Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Many other candidates were in the race, including Democrats Kathleen Blanco and Richard Ieyoub.
Republicans ran Bobby Jindal as an alternative choice for voters. In the end, Leach came in fourth place behind Richard Ieyoub, Kathleen Blanco, and Bobby Jindal, respectively.
In 2010, Leach was elected chairman of the Louisiana Democratic Party in a special election.
During his tenure as chairman, the party struggled to field candidates for statewide offices. The party was unable to find a well funded candidate to run against Governor Bobby Jindal. Foreign the first time since Reconstruction, Democrats lost both houses of the state legislature to Republicans.
On April 28, 2012, Leach lost his reelection bid as state party chair to State Senator Karen Carter Peterson of New Orleans.
Formerly, he was the United States. Representative for Louisiana"s 4th congressional district and a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives.
