Leonard F. Walentynowicz

Leonard Frederick Walentynowicz (1932–2005) was United States Assistant Secretary of State for Security and Consular Affairs from 1975 to 1977; a Republican lawyer and the long-time executive director of the Polish American Congress.

Biography Walentynowicz was born in Buffalo, New York, in 1932. He grew up on the East Side of Buffalo and attended high school at Hutchinson Central Technical High School

After law school, Walentynowicz established a law practice in Buffalo. He later became Chief of the Appeals Section of the Erie County district attorney's office. He also served as a special prosecutor for the Bar Association of Erie County. As a result of this opposition, Senators Jacob K. Javits (R—NY) and James L. Buckley (C—NY) initially blocked Walentynowicz's appointment. President Gerald Ford later succeeded in getting Walentynowicz confirmed as Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs and Walentynowicz held this office from January 2, 1975, until March 7, 1977.

After his time in office, Walentynowicz remained in Washington, D.C., becoming Executive Director of the Polish American Congress. He testified several times before the United States Commission on Civil Rights and in 1980, he published a book about workplace discrimination against European Americans entitled Employment and Ethnicity.