Meet Gerry
Hard work, service before self, and the belief that American values are worth fighting for made the United States the most exceptional nation in the world. Those principles have guided Gerry’s life and are the principles he will bring with him to Washington.
AT Hike-SOBO, 2019 - First & Last Days
Raising Awareness & Support for Disabled Veterans
Gerry Leonard is a 13th generation Rhode Islander whose ancestors fled England to escape religious persecution. Gerry takes great pride in our state’s history as a beacon for freedom, liberty, and hope.
Growing up in a middle-class family of educators, Gerry attended public schools and graduated from North Kingstown High in 1983 where he excelled as an athlete in basketball, football, and baseball. He was in fact named the North Kingstown Athlete of the Year in 1983 by the Standard Times Newspaper.
He graduated cum laude with a BA from Hartwick College in New York State in 1987. In college Gerry majored in Economics and minored in History and was inducted into Omicron Delta Epsilon and Phi Alpha Theta honor societies. He was a member of Who’s Who in American Colleges and was elected Treasurer of the Hartwick Student Senate.
Guest Speaker - Jamestown Memorial Day Ceremony, 2011
Gerry then moved on to a 30-year career in the US Marine Corps that included multiple overseas deployments with combat tours in Kuwait, Somalia, Iraq, and Afghanistan as an infantry and reconnaissance officer. His military decorations include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal, and Combat Action Ribbon. He is a parachutist and combatant diver.
After retiring as a Colonel in 2019, Gerry hiked the 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail with his son Rex to raise money for Project Healing Waters Fly-Fishing, a non-profit organization which supports disabled veterans. In 2020, he joined RI based Bentley Companies to develop and grow its federal construction portfolio.
Recently Gerry stepped down from Bentley to run for Congress in the First District of RI where he hopes to fight for all Rhode Islanders in Washington DC.
Rwanda, 2017 Meeting his daughter Sam’s students while she served as a Peace Corps Volunteer
As the father of four adult children, Gerry understands the terrific challenges Rhode Islanders face in raising their children, protecting their families, paying their bills, and saving for their futures. When Gerry sees what is happening in Washington, he knows we can and must do better for future generations.
He does not accept the status quo where career politicians place self and party before the constituents who elected them. And he is a strong proponent of term limits.
Gerry believes what most Rhode Islanders believe – Americans know how to live their lives better than government bureaucrats and professional politicians do. That is why he has dedicated his life to serving our country, protecting our inalienable rights, and defending our Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic.
Gerry wants to continue fighting for all Rhode Islanders and challenging the status quo in Washington DC when he is elected as the first Republican to represent the First Congressional District since former Congressman Ron Machtley who served from 1989 – 1995.
Gerry is a resident of Jamestown and a graduate of the Naval War College.
Ducks Unlimited Banquet, 2010