Howard H. Leach (born June 19, 1930) is an American diplomat and businessman. He served as the

United States Ambassador Ambassadors of the United States are persons nominated by the president to serve as the country's diplomatic representatives to foreign nations, international organizations, and as ambassadors-at-large. Under Article II, Section 2 of the U.S ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

from 2001 to 2005.

Early life and education

Leach was born in Salinas, California. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

in 1952. He studied at Stanford Graduate School of Business in 1953 and at the Stanford Advanced Management College in 1968.

Career

Business career

A businessman and private investor, Leach began his entrepreneurial career as co-founder and president of various food-processing corporations from 1958 to 1971 in his hometown of Salinas, California. From 1995 to 2000, he served as president and major shareholder of

Tejon Ranch Company Tejon Ranch Company (), based in Lebec, California, is one of the largest private landowners in California. The company was incorporated in 1936 to organize the ownership of a large tract of land that was consolidated from four Mexican land gr ...

. He also invested in the Royal Packing Company, Merit Packaging Co., Larson Cooling Co., Cypress Farms Inc., Charles G. Watts Inc., Union Ice Company, Sterling Inc. in

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

, Kestrel Dental Corp., and Sybron Corporation. He was an early limited partner in

Forstmann Little & Company Forstmann, Little & Company was a private equity firm, specializing in leveraged buyouts (LBOs). At its peak in the late 1990s, Forstmann Little was among the largest private equity firms globally. Ultimately, the firm would suffer from the burs ...

. He was also the president of Foley Timber and Land Company, Leach Capital, Leach McMicking & Company, and Hunter Fan.

Diplomatic career

Leach served as United States Ambassador to France from 2001 to 2005. He was rated highly by the

Office of the Inspector General of the Department of State The Office of Inspector General for the Department of State (OIG) is an independent office within the U.S. Department of State with a primary responsibility to prevent and detect waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement. OIG inspects more tha ...

. A 2005 report by the OIG stated that he demonstrated "a solid knowledge of issues across the spectrum of both policy and management priorities at the embassy", nevertheless refusing to learn a word of French, which did not help to smooth the way between the Elysée Palace and the White House during the Chirac-Bush clash on the Iraq war in 2003 according to the French press.

Philanthropy

He was directly involved in managing a number of public interest associations, including the National Legal Research Center for the Public Interest in Washington and the

Pacific Research Institute The Pacific Research Institute for Public Policy (PRI) is a California-based free-market think tank which promotes "the principles of individual freedom and personal responsibility" through policies that emphasize a free economy, private initiat ...

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

. He was also vice president of the

San Francisco Opera San Francisco Opera (SFO) is an American opera company founded in 1923 by Gaetano Merola (1881–1953) based in San Francisco, California. History Gaetano Merola (1923–1953) Merola's road to prominence in the Bay Area began in 1906 when h ...

. Je has donated in excess of US$50,000 to the

American Hospital of Paris The American Hospital of Paris (''Hôpital américain de Paris''), founded in 1906, is a private, not-for-profit hospital that is certified under the French healthcare system. Located in Neuilly-sur-Seine, in the western suburbs of Paris, Franc ...

in Neuilly-sur-Seine.American Hospital of Paris Foundation: Donors

Personal life

Leach is a former member and past chairman of the

Regents of the University of California The Regents of the University of California (also referred to as the Board of Regents to distinguish the board from the corporation it governs of the same name) is the governing board of the University of California (UC), a state university sy ...

. He is married to Gretchen Leach, a philanthropist. They reside in Palm Beach, Florida.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Leach, Howard H. 1930 births Living people People from Palm Beach, Florida People from Salinas, California Yale University alumni Stanford Graduate School of Business alumni Ambassadors of the United States to France University of California regents American philanthropists California Republicans Florida Republicans