Donald S. Leonard Papers, 1925-1966

Start Over Collection Donald S. Leonard Papers, 1925-1966 Date range 1920 to 1929

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33 linear feet — 1 oversize folder — 1.55 GB

Michigan State Police officer, 1923-1941, Michigan Civil Defense Director during World War II, State Police Commissioner, 1947-1951, Republican candidate for governor, 1954, served on Michigan Liquor Commissioner and as Detroit Recorders Court judge. Papers include extensive documentation of his service as Director of Civil Defense and State Police Commissioner and his political activities.

The Donald S. Leonard collection is a valuable resource to researchers studying topics of law enforcement and civil defense and Michigan state politics and government. The Donald S. Leonard collection has been arranged into seven series: Personal and Correspondence, 1925-1966; Civil Defense; World War II Era, 1941-1946; Michigan State Police, 1929-1952; Detroit Police Department, 1952-1954; Political Files, 1950-1956; Organization and Activities Files; Audio-Visual Materials; Committee on Equal Educational Opportunities. Leonard also taught law course at the State Police Recruit School and Metropolitan Police Academy of Michigan.

1925-April 1953

35 folders

Box 1

Speech texts, 1929-1964

30 folders

Box 3

Michigan State Police, 1929-1952

The Michigan State Police series is divided into organizational and subject areas. These papers are more closely tied to Leonard's career than are the civil defense papers, and cover primarily the activities of the second district (Detroit) up to 1945, and the state headquarters in Lansing from 1945 to 1952. Here again the collection includes some of the files of Leonard's predecessor as commissioner, Oscar Olander. These files contain documentation on the murder of State Senator William G. Hooper, the attempted assassinations of Walter and Victor Reuther, and state police involvement in strikes and other labor disturbances.