William K. Leonhart

William K. Leonhart (1919 1997) was an American diplomat and the first U.S. Ambassador to Tanzania. He also served as Special Assistant to President Lyndon B. Johnson.

Early life and career William Kahn Leonhart was born in Parkersburg, West Virginia. He graduated from the West Virginia University in 1939 with his bachelor's degree. He later received his master's and PhD from Princeton University. In 1943, Leonhart joined the Army Air Corps. One year later he married Florence Lydia Sloan and joined the U.S. Foreign Service. Leonhart attended the Imperial Defense College in 1958. In 1959 in Tokyo, he was promoted to Deputy Chief of Mission, the second in command in an embassy, with the personal rank of Minister. He remained in Tokyo until 1962. For his last year in Tokyo, he served as the chargé d'affaires. In 1964, Tanganika merged with Zanzibar and was renamed the United Republic of Tanzania. Leonhart remained in Tanzania until 1965.

After his time in Tanzania, he worked with Ambassador Robert Daniel Murphy on the Presidential Transition Staff before serving as Special Assistant to the President. Leonhart served as ambassador to Yugoslavia until 1971.

He returned to the states and served as the Deputy Commandant for International Affairs at the National War College from 1972 to 1975. In 1979, he was the chairman of the Senior Intelligence Review Panel at the Central Intelligence Agency.

Legacy The Leonharts were art enthusiasts. They amassed a large art collection from their time abroad, focused mainly on Japanese and African art. Together, Leonhart and his wife started the Daval Foundation in 1980 to educate young artists and hold public exhibitions. William Leonhart served as the president of the foundation. Through the Daval Foundation, art from the Leonharts' collection has been displayed at the Smithsonian Institution, the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Leonhart's personal papers are archived at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library.