Patrick Leonard was an Irish politician, businessman and landowner. He owned three farms near Dublin and was involved in moving cattle between the west of Ireland and Dublin. In 1915 he was elected President of the Dublin Chamber of Commerce

Dublin Chamber of Commerce

Dublin Chamber of Commerce is one of the oldest such organisations in Europe and traces its origins back to the Autumn of 1695 when the Dublin shipping company of Ferris, Twiggs and Cash sent their vessel Ouzel Galley on an important trading journey to the near-Eastern Seas. With provisions, a crew...

. Leonard was an early pioneer of the car in Ireland and suffered a serious accident in 1911, leading to the loss of his right eye, when a front light blew up in his face. During the Easter Rising

Easter Rising

The Easter Rising was an insurrection staged in Ireland during Easter Week, 1916. The Rising was mounted by Irish republicans with the aims of ending British rule in Ireland and establishing the Irish Republic at a time when the British Empire was heavily engaged in the First World War...

 of 1916, Leonard, travelling with his son Mark, was told to stop at a road-block by rebels. He refused to do so and was shot at, leading to his son's arm being injured.

After independence, Leonard was elected to Dáil Éireann

Dáil Éireann

Dáil Éireann is the lower house, but principal chamber, of the Oireachtas , which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann . It is directly elected at least once in every five years under the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote...

 as a Cumann na nGaedheal Teachta Dála

Teachta Dála

A Teachta Dála , usually abbreviated as TD in English, is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas . It is the equivalent of terms such as "Member of Parliament" or "deputy" used in other states. The official translation of the term is "Deputy to the Dáil", though a more literal...

 (TD) for the Dublin North constituency at the Dublin North by-election on 11 March 1925 caused by the resignation of Francis Cahill

Francis Cahill

Francis Cahill was an Irish Cumann na nGaedheal politician. A teacher by profession, he was elected to Dáil Éireann as a Cumann na nGaedheal Teachta Dála for the Dublin North constituency at the 1923 general election. He resigned his seat on 30 October 1924. The subsequent by-election on 11 March...

 of Cumann na nGaedheal. He lost his seat at the June 1927 general election but was re-elected at the September 1927 general election. He lost his seat again at the 1932 general election

Irish general election, 1932

The Irish general election of 1932 was held on 16 February 1932, just over two weeks after the dissolution of the Dáil on 29 January. The newly elected 153 members of the 7th Dáil assembled at Leinster House on 9 March 1932 when the new President of the Executive Council and Executive Council of...

.

He married Kathleen, the daughter of Simon Mangan

Simon Mangan

Simon Mangan was a landowner and HM Lieutenant of Meath from 1894 to 1906. A JP, he was also in business with his son-in-law Patrick Leonard in moving cattle between the west and east of Ireland....

 of Dunboyne Castle

Dunboyne

Dunboyne is a town in County Meath in Ireland. For the most part, it is a dormitory town for the city of Dublin.-Location:Dunboyne is centred on the crossroads formed by the R156 regional road and the old Maynooth Road ....

, HM Lieutenant

Lord Lieutenant of Meath

This is a list of people who served as Lord Lieutenant of County Meath, Ireland. The office was created on 23 August 1831.* Edward Bligh, 5th Earl of Darnley 28 October 1831 – 11 February 1835...

 for County Meath

County Meath

County Meath is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Mide . Meath County Council is the local authority for the county...

from 1895-1906. They had nine children, the eldest of whom died in infancy.