Representative Leslie Jasper Steele

Leslie Jasper Steele (November 21, 1868 – July 24, 1929) was an American politician, lawyer, and educator who represented Georgia in the United States House of Representatives from 1927 until his death in 1929. A member of the Democratic Party, he contributed to the legislative process during a significant period in American history, participating in the democratic process and representing the interests of his constituents in Georgia’s 5th congressional district.

Steele was born on November 21, 1868, in Decatur, DeKalb County, Georgia, to Michael A. Steele and Martha Lucinda Smith Steele. Raised in a community that he would later serve in multiple public capacities, he pursued his early education locally before enrolling at Oxford College of Emory University. He graduated from Oxford College in 1893. Following his graduation, Steele taught school from 1893 to 1898, beginning a professional life that combined education, law, and public service.

Seeking to enter the legal profession, Steele attended the University of Georgia School of Law in Athens. He graduated in 1899 with a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) degree and was admitted to the Georgia bar that same year. He then commenced the practice of law in Decatur, where he established himself as an attorney while becoming increasingly involved in local civic and educational affairs. On November 6, 1904, he married Rubie Mae Sprayberry, the daughter of John G. Sprayberry and Lula V. Simpson Sprayberry. Rubie Mae Sprayberry was born on July 27, 1885, in Henry County, Georgia, and died on May 23, 1967, in Decatur, DeKalb County, Georgia. The couple had eight children, and she was later buried on the right-hand side of her husband in the Steele family plot.

Steele’s public career began at the local level. He served on the DeKalb County Board of Education from 1902 to 1921, reflecting his longstanding interest in public education and community development. In addition to his work on the school board, he was elected mayor of Decatur, Georgia, in 1915 and served in that capacity until 1920. His tenure as mayor coincided with his growing prominence in state politics and his continued legal practice in Decatur.

In 1915, while serving as mayor, Steele was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in the Georgia General Assembly. He held that state legislative seat from 1915 until 1919, participating in the formulation of state laws and policies during a period that spanned World War I and its immediate aftermath. After completing his service in the state legislature, he continued his legal and civic work by serving as both city and county attorney from 1921 through 1925, further solidifying his reputation as a trusted legal advisor and public servant in DeKalb County and the city of Decatur.

Steele’s experience in local and state government led to his election to national office. In 1926, he was elected as a Democrat to the United States House of Representatives, representing Georgia’s 5th congressional district in the 70th United States Congress. His service in Congress began on March 4, 1927. Although some accounts describe his congressional tenure as encompassing two terms from 1927 to 1931, he in fact served one full term from 1927 to 1929 and was elected to a second term. As a member of the House of Representatives, he contributed to the legislative process during a consequential era in American political and economic life, representing the interests of his Atlanta-area district and the broader concerns of Georgia.

Steele was reelected to an additional term in Congress; however, he died in office during that second term. He passed away on July 24, 1929, at Garfield Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C., while still serving in the House of Representatives. His death placed him among the members of the United States Congress who died in office during the first half of the twentieth century. Leslie Jasper Steele was buried in the Steele family plot at Decatur City Cemetery in Decatur, DeKalb County, Georgia, where his wife would later be interred beside him.