Leonard Boswell

Candidate for Congress

Iowa (IA-03)

 

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Congressman Leonard Boswell is a proven leader with the experience to solve tomorrow’s challenges.

Leonard’s honesty, hard work and decency ground his work in the values we live every day. A father, a farmer, a soldier, and a community leader, Leonard Boswell has always been there for his neighbors, and he’s always been there for his country.

Leonard Boswell was born January 10, 1934, and raised in Ringgold and Decatur counties. He attended public schools and learned the tremendous value of Iowa’s exceptional teachers and education system. He graduated from Lamoni High School. Leonard later received a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Graceland College, where he met his future wife Dody. These experiences led to dedication to quality education that continues today as he diligently works to see to it that the quality of Iowa schools, teachers, and students improve upon their nationally recognized high level of achievement. Leonard supported increasing Pell Grants to the level they are today, more than double the level they were when he was first elected to Congress, providing low income students with the means they need to continue their education and strive for a better future.

In 1956, Leonard was drafted into the United States Army as a private. He would spend twenty years serving his country in the Army, eventually rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. While in the military, Leonard continued his education. He first graduated with honors from the Artillery Officers Candidate School. Later, he graduated first in his class from both the Army Aviation Fixed Wing Flight School and then at the Army Aviation Helicopter Flight School. He also graduated from the Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and later returned there as an educator, imparting his knowledge onto another generation of brave soldiers.

During his long and distinguished military career (in which he earned two Distinguished Flying Crosses, two Bronze Stars, the Soldier’s Medal, and numerous other awards and decorations), Boswell saw the world. Leonard served two one-year tours of duty as an assault helicopter pilot in Vietnam. He also served two NATO tours of duty in Europe, first for four years in Germany, and later for three years in Portugal. Though he saw the world, the place he longed to be was home in Iowa.

In 1976, after retiring from the United States Army as a decorated and respected officer, Boswell returned to Iowa with his family to farm. The farm life had changed drastically from the one he knew and loved as a boy. The farm crisis of the 1980s hit Iowa particularly hard. However, as Chairman of the Board of Directors of his local farmers’ cooperative and grain elevator, Leonard steered the coop through the turbulent times when many others folded.

At the urging of his community, Boswell ran for and was successfully elected to the Iowa Senate in 1984. There he expanded his lifelong commitment to education. He was also instrumental in passing significant spending reform legislation that put Iowa’s finances back on track, thus ensuring a government that was both fiscally responsible and responsive to the needs of Iowans. In 1992, Boswell was honored by his colleagues in the Senate by being elected as Senate President, and he was reelected President in 1994 by the unanimous vote of his colleagues.

In 1996, Leonard was elected to the United States House of Representatives. Here he has continued his tradition of fighting for fiscal responsibility in government and for a good education for all. In Congress, he has participated in bringing about the first balanced federal budget in nearly three decades, provided meaningful tax relief to working families, supported the most comprehensive education reform ever undertaken, and has been instrumental in crafting aviation security legislation. He also continues to fight to keep Iowa’s small businesses and rural communities vibrant, to prevent crime, and to protect Social Security and Medicare.

On March 14, 2001, Congressman Boswell was named a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Given his extensive military background and Top Secret clearance, Leonard had a comfortable transition as he took on his committee responsibilities. This committee has oversight over the Central Intelligence Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and as other security agencies. As a member of the Select Committee on Intelligence, Leonard works closely with the administration to ensure our brave men and women in uniform have the information they need to successfully prosecute the war against terrorism. His subcommittee assignments include the Technical and Tactical Intelligence Subcommittee, as well as the Human Intelligence, Analysis, and Counterintelligence Subcommittee, of which he is the Ranking Member.

Congressman Boswell also serves on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and is a member of the Aviation and Railroads Subcommittees. And Leonard is a member of the Agriculture Committee, where he serves on both the General Farm Commodities and Risk Management, and the Livestock and Horticulture subcommittees.

Leonard and Dody have been married for more than forty years. Dody has been a teacher for more than thirty years, teaching even while the family was stationed in Germany and Portugal. Together they have three children and four grandchildren.