Leo C. Mundy (June 2, 1887 – June 11, 1944) was an American physician and politician who served as a Democratic member of the

Pennsylvania Senate The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered ev ...

for the 21st district from 1939 to 1944.

Early life and education

Mundy was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. He attended the public schools and Wyoming Seminary. He received his medical degree from the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

in 1908. Mundy served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

as a captain during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. He was placed in charge of a one-thousand-bed military hospital in France. In 1919, he was brevetted lieutenant-colonel and received the distinguished service citation from General John Pershing for heroism in treating and evacuating wounded soldiers under fire.

Career

After the war, Mundy resumed his medical practice and entered politics by directing the campaign of his brother for city council. He became the chair of the Luzerne County Democratic Committee which gave him control over

patronage Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...

jobs. In 1932, he was a delegate to the Chicago Democratic Convention and actively supported the nomination of

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

. As a reward for that support, he was appointed collector of internal revenue for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. Mundy served in the

Pennsylvania State Senate The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered ev ...

for the 21st district from 1939 until his death in 1944. He died on June 11, 1944, in a hospital in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania after a heart attack.'Dr. Leo C. Murphy, Democratic Leader, Dies At Age 57,' ''Clearfield Progress'' (Pennsylvania), June 12, 1944, pg. 8

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mundy, Leo C. 1887 births 1944 deaths 20th-century American physicians 20th-century American legislators United States Army personnel of World War I Burials in Pennsylvania Military personnel from Pennsylvania Democratic Party Pennsylvania state senators Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania alumni Physicians from Pennsylvania Politicians from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Wyoming Seminary alumni 20th-century Pennsylvania politicians