| Leonard Niederlehner | |
| Office: | Deputy General Counsel of Defense |
| Term Start: | 1953 |
| Term End: | December 10, 1991 |
| Office1: | General Counsel of Defense |
| Term Start1: | August 7, 1987 |
| Term End1: | October 25, 1987 |
| President1: | Ronald Reagan |
| Term Start2: | January 20, 1981 |
| Term End2: | April 1, 1981 |
| President2: | Ronald Reagan |
| Term Start3: | October 15, 1979 |
| Term End3: | February 1, 1980 |
| President3: | Jimmy Carter |
| Term Start4: | August 6, 1975 |
| Term End4: | January 1, 1976 |
| Predecessor4: | Martin Richard Hoffman |
| President4: | Gerald Ford |
| Term Start5: | May 22, 1973 |
| Term End5: | March 13, 1974 |
| President5: | Richard Nixon |
| Predecessor5: | J. Fred Buzhardt |
| Term Start6: | August 1, 1967 |
| Term End6: | August 20, 1970 |
| President6: | Lyndon B. Johnson Richard Nixon |
| Predecessor6: | Paul Warnke |
| Term Start7: | July 1, 1964 |
| Term End7: | September 19, 1966 |
| President7: | Lyndon B. Johnson |
| Office8: | Assistant General Counsel of Defense (Logistics) |
| Term Start8: | 1952 |
| Term End8: | 1953 |
| Birth Name: | Leonard Niederlehner |
| Birth Date: | 12 October 1914 |
| Spouse: | Helen Warfield |
| Children: | James R. Niederlehner Barbara Niederlehner Willis John L. Niederlehner |
| Serviceyears: | 1942-1946 |
| Rank: | Lieutenant commander |
Leonard Niederlehner (October 12, 1914 - December 10, 1991) was an American lawyer who served as Deputy General Counsel for the Department of Defense for nearly four decades, from 1953 until his death in 1991.[1] [2] [3]
Niederlehner was born on October 12, 1914, in Cincinnati, Ohio, to Louis William Niederlehner and Agnes Clark. He attended the University of Cincinnati and graduated with a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1937 and passed the Ohio bar that same year. In 1938 he moved to Washington, D.C., and worked as a secretary for Congressman Herbert S. Bigelow. He later served as a lawyer for the Federal Security Agency in 1941 and served during World War II in the United States Navy Reserve as a lieutenant commander. After the war he was counsel for the Navy's Bureau of Yards and Docks and later for the Army-Navy Munitions Board. In 1952 he became assistant general counsel for logistics in the Department of Defense, and he served in that capacity until 1953 when he was named deputy general counsel. He would serve on and off as acting general counsel a total of seven times.
He received the Rockefeller Public Service Award in 1961, four Department of Defense Distinguished Civilian Service medals, the National Civil Service League Award in 1965, the President's Medal for Distinguished Civilian Service in 1979, the President's Award for Meritorious Executive in 1980, the Department of Defense Distinguished Public Service Award in 1981 and the presidential rank of Meritorious Executive in 1985 and 1991.
He was former Arlington District Chairman of the Boy Scouts, and he had received the Silver Beaver Award for contributions to scouting. He was a member of Cherrydale United Methodist Church in Arlington and an enthusiastic sailor.
Niederlehner married Helen Warfield on July 2, 1948, and had three children, James, Barbara and John. They had four grandchildren. Helen died in 1983.