Robert J. "Bob" Leeper (born December 8, 1958) is an American

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

politician and

chiropractor Chiropractic is a form of alternative medicine concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mechanical disorders of the musculoskeletal system, especially of the spine. It has esoteric origins and is based on several pseudoscie ...

. He was a member of the

Kentucky State Senate The Kentucky Senate is the upper house of the Kentucky General Assembly. The Kentucky Senate is composed of 38 members elected from single-member districts throughout the Commonwealth. There are no term limits for Kentucky Senators. The Kentuc ...

from 1991 to 1995. In 2014, he was elected Judge-Executive of

McCracken County McCracken County is a county located in the far western portion of U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 67,875. The county seat and only municipality is Paducah. McCracken County was the 78th county formed in the st ...

, but chose not to seek reelection in 2018.

Education

Leeper attended Paducah Community College and

Sherman College of Chiropractic Sherman College of Chiropractic is a private graduate college focused on the health sciences and located in unincorporated Spartanburg County, South Carolina, with a Boiling Springs postal address; it is outside of the Boiling Springs census-desi ...

Political career

Prior to serving in the Kentucky State Senate, Leeper was a city commissioner in Paducah.

Kentucky State Senate

Originally a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, Leeper joined the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

in 2000, and became a political independent later in the decade. Leeper has been described as an "ultra-conservative independent", and was known in the legislature for his opposition to expanded gambling. In 2012, he mounted an unsuccessful candidacy to serve as president of the Kentucky State Senate.

Judge-Executive of McCracken County

In 2014, Leeper was elected Judge-Executive of

. In 2018, he faced criticism over the termination of Paducah Economic Development president and CEO Scott Darnell, and issued a statement saying he would not answer questions about the matter. He did not seek reelection in 2018.

Honors

In 2020, he was honored with the opening of the Bob Leeper Bridge, a 110-foot pedestrian bridge in McCracken County.

References

External links

Senate District 2: Senator Bob Leeper (I)
at

Kentucky Legislature The Kentucky General Assembly, also called the Kentucky Legislature, is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It comprises the Kentucky Senate and the Kentucky House of Representatives. The General Assembly meets annually in t ...

1958 births Living people Place of birth missing (living people) Kentucky state senators Kentucky Independents People from Paducah, Kentucky Baptists from Kentucky American chiropractors Sherman College of Chiropractic alumni {{Kentucky-politician-stub