Leonard Glenn Christian (born September 22, 1965) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

politician and businessman. Christian serves as a member of the

Washington House of Representatives The Washington House of Representatives is the lower house of the Washington State Legislature, and along with the Washington State Senate makes up the legislature of the U.S. state of Washington. It is composed of 98 Representatives from 49 ...

, representing the 4th district, having been elected in 2022. He was appointed to the state House in 2014 to fill out the remainder of the term of Representative Larry Crouse.

Early life and education

Christian was born in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

and raised in

Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Canada ...

, where he graduated from

Joel E. Ferris High School Joel E. Ferris High School (also known as Ferris High School) is a four-year public high school in Spokane, Washington, part of Spokane Public Schools. In southeast Spokane's Southgate neighborhood, it was built at a cost of $3,235,861 and opened o ...

. Christian earned an

Associate degree An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelor's degree. The fi ...

from the

Community College of the Air Force The Community College of the Air Force (CCAF) is a federal program offered by the United States Air Force and United States Space Force which grants two-year Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degrees in association with Air University. CCAF se ...

, Bachelor of Science from

Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) is a private university focused on aviation and aerospace programs. Initially founded at Lunken Field in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1926, its main campuses are located in Daytona Beach, Florida, and Prescott ...

, and MBA from

Webster University Webster University is a private university with its main campus in Webster Groves, Missouri. It has multiple branch locations across the United States and countries across Europe, Asia, and Africa. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs ...

. Christian served in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

and retired as a Master sergeant.

Career

Christian has worked as a real estate broker in

Spokane Valley, Washington Spokane Valley is a city in Spokane County, Washington, United States, and the largest suburb of Spokane. It is located east of Spokane, west of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, and surrounds the city of Millwood on three sides. The city incorporated as t ...

since 2007. In 2010, he fell 12.5 points short of unseating the

incumbent The incumbent is the current holder of an official, office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seek ...

Spokane County Auditor, Vicky Dalton. Christian was appointed to the state legislature on January 8, 2014, by the

Spokane County Spokane County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, its population was 539,339, making it the fourth-most populous county in Washington. The largest city and county seat is Spokane, the second largest cit ...

Board of Commissioners A county commission (or a board of county commissioners) is a group of elected officials (county commissioners) collectively charged with administering the county government in some states of the United States; such commissions usually comprise ...

, despite being the second choice of the Republican Precinct Committee Officers from the district. Christian filled the vacancy left after Larry Crouse resigned from his seat in the legislature on December 31, 2013, because of health problems. In 2018, Christian narrowly lost an election for Spokane County Assessor. Christian announced that he was running to challenge Rep. Matt Shea in the 2020 Republican primary after Rep. Shea was expelled from the House Republican caucus for alleged involvement in domestic terrorism.

Awards

* 2014 Guardians of Small Business award. Presented by NFIB.

References

External links

Leonard Christian at votesmart.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Christian, Leonard Living people Republican Party members of the Washington House of Representatives 1965 births People from Spokane Valley, Washington Place of birth missing (living people) United States Air Force non-commissioned officers