Leonard Niederlehner

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.

Leonard Niederlehner
Deputy General Counsel of Defense
In office 1953 – December 10, 1991
President	See list Dwight D. Eisenhower John F. Kennedy Lyndon B. Johnson Richard Nixon Gerald Ford Jimmy Carter Ronald Reagan George H. W. Bush
General Counsel of Defense (Acting)
In office August 7, 1987 – October 25, 1987
President	Ronald Reagan
Preceded by	Henry L. Garrett III
Succeeded by	Kathleen A. Buck
In office January 20, 1981 – April 1, 1981
President	Ronald Reagan
Preceded by	Togo D. West Jr.
Succeeded by	William Howard Taft IV
In office October 15, 1979 – February 1, 1980
President	Jimmy Carter
Preceded by	Deanne C. Siemer
In office August 6, 1975 – January 1, 1976
President	Gerald Ford
Preceded by	Martin Richard Hoffman
Succeeded by	Richard A. Wiley
In office May 22, 1973 – March 13, 1974
President	Richard Nixon
Preceded by	J. Fred Buzhardt
Succeeded by	Martin Richard Hoffmann
In office August 1, 1967 – August 20, 1970
President	Lyndon B. Johnson Richard Nixon
Preceded by	Paul Warnke
Succeeded by	J. Fred Buzhardt
In office July 1, 1964 – September 19, 1966
President	Lyndon B. Johnson
Preceded by	John McNaughton
Succeeded by	Paul Warnke
Assistant General Counsel of Defense (Logistics)
In office 1952–1953
Personal details
Born	Leonard Niederlehner (1914-10-12)October 12, 1914 Cincinnati, Ohio
Died	December 10, 1991(1991-12-10) (aged 77) Arlington County, Virginia
Spouse	Helen Warfield
Children	James R. Niederlehner Barbara Niederlehner Willis John L. Niederlehner
Education	University of Cincinnati (BL)
Military service
Branch/service	United States Navy Reserve
Years of service	1942-1946
Rank	Lieutenant commander

Biography

Niederlehner was born on October 12, 1914, in Cincinnati, Ohio, to Louis William Niederlehner and Agnes Clark. 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

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