Leonard George Wolf (October 29, 1925 – March 28, 1970) was a one-term Democratic

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

Iowa's 2nd congressional district Iowa's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Iowa that covers most of its southeastern part. It includes Davenport, Iowa City, Muscatine, Clinton, Burlington, Ottumwa, Fort Madison, Oskaloosa, Bettendo ...

. He was elected in 1958 and defeated in 1960 when seeking re-election. Born on a farm in

Dane County, Wisconsin Dane County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 561,504, making it the second-most populous county in Wisconsin. The county seat is Madison, which is also the state capital. Dane County is the ...

, near Mazomanie, Wolf attended the public schools of Mazomanie, Wisconsin. He served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

from 1944 to 1946, in the

Pacific Ocean theater of World War II The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

. He graduated from the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an educational institution, institution of higher education, higher (or Tertiary education, tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. Universities ty ...

in agricultural economics in 1949 and moved to

Elkader, Iowa Elkader is a city in Clayton County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,209 at the time of the 2020 census, down from 1,465 in 2000. It is the county seat of Clayton County. It is the site of Iowa's lowest recorded minimum temperature, on ...

, the same year. In Elkader, he worked as a retail feed dealer from 1952 to 1958, while delivering public speeches and lectures. Wolf tried and failed to win election to the U.S. House in 1956, running against longtime incumbent Republican

Henry O. Talle Henry Oscar Talle (January 12, 1892 – March 14, 1969) was an economics professor and a ten-term Republican U.S. Representative from eastern Iowa. He served in the United States Congress for twenty years from 1939 until 1959. Background Born on ...

. His chances were aided by a drop in farm prices but hurt by the presence of a popular president at the top of the Republican ticket. Wolf lost, but received a higher percentage of the votes than any of Talle's previous opponents. In the mid-term elections two years later, the prices farmers received for their products had increased, but not enough to counterbalance an even greater increase in costs, leading to an anti-Republican mood among the farmers and farm communities that served as the Republicans' traditional base in Iowa."MIDWESTERN BATTLEGROUND: Congressional Fights Tax the G.O.P.", ''Time'' Magazine, 1958-10-20
/ref> That year, the parties' candidates in the district were the same as in 1956 and the election again was close, but

the outcome ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

was different; Wolf unseated Talle. However, in 1960, as part of good year for Republicans in Iowa, Wolf was unseated by Republican

James E. Bromwell James Edward Bromwell (March 26, 1920 – September 11, 2009) was a two-term Republican U.S. Representative from Iowa's 2nd congressional district. He was elected in 1960, re-elected in 1962, and defeated in 1964. Born and raised in Cedar Rapids ...

. Wolf's congressional service began January 3, 1959, and ended January 3, 1961. After leaving Congress, Wolf was active in efforts to prevent starvation and

malnutrition Malnutrition occurs when an organism gets too few or too many nutrients, resulting in health problems. Specifically, it is "a deficiency, excess, or imbalance of energy, protein and other nutrients" which adversely affects the body's tissues a ...

. In 1961 was appointed special assistant to the director of the

International Cooperation Administration The International Cooperation Administration (ICA) was a United States government agency operating from June 30, 1955 until September 4, 1961, responsible for foreign assistance and 'nonmilitary security' programs. It was the predecessor of the ...

's Mission in

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

, where he served until 1965. He coordinated the child feeding program for

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...

(in 1966) and in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

following a drought (in 1967). In 1968, he was appointed executive director of the American

Freedom From Hunger Freedom from Hunger (established in 1946, and now part of the Grameen Foundation) is an international development organization working in nineteen different countries. Rather than provide food aid, Freedom from Hunger focuses on providing small ...

Foundation. Wolf died March 28, 1970, in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

He was interred in St. Barnabas Cemetery, Mazomanie, Wisconsin.

References

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wolf, Leonard George 1925 births 1970 deaths People from Mazomanie, Wisconsin People from Elkader, Iowa University of Wisconsin–Madison College of Agricultural and Life Sciences alumni United States Navy personnel of World War II Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Iowa 20th-century American politicians