Representative Stephen Banks Leonard

Stephen Banks Leonard (April 15, 1793 – May 8, 1876) was an American newspaperman and Democratic politician who served two non-consecutive terms as a U.S. Representative from New York, from 1835 to 1837 and from 1839 to 1841. He was born in New York City on April 15, 1793, and attended the public schools there. In his youth he moved with his parents to Owego, New York, a relocation that shaped the rest of his life and career. In Owego he learned the printer’s trade, acquiring the skills that would underpin his long involvement in newspaper publishing and local public affairs.

Leonard’s early career was closely tied to the printing and newspaper business. After training as a printer in Owego, he engaged in newspaper work in Albany, New York, gaining broader experience in the state’s political and commercial center. He later moved to New York City for a period, further exposing him to the state’s expanding press and political networks, before ultimately returning to Owego. There he became publisher and editor of the Owego Gazette, a position he held from 1814 to 1835. Through the Gazette he played a central role in disseminating news and opinion in Tioga County and the surrounding region during a formative period in New York’s political development.

In addition to his newspaper work, Leonard was active in local civic and economic affairs in and around Owego. He served as a trustee of the village of Owego and as supervisor and commissioner of excise, positions that involved oversight of local governance and regulation. He was also a trustee of Owego Academy for many years, reflecting his engagement with local educational institutions. In 1816 he established the first stage route from Owego to Bath, New York, contributing to improved transportation and communication in the Southern Tier. That same year he was appointed postmaster of Owego, serving from 1816 to 1820, a role that further connected him to the region’s commercial and political life.

Leonard’s prominence in local affairs and his alignment with the Jacksonian wing of the Democratic Party led to his election to national office. He was elected as a Jacksonian to the Twenty-fourth Congress, serving from March 4, 1835, to March 3, 1837, representing New York in the U.S. House of Representatives. After a brief interval out of office, he returned to Congress as a Democrat, winning election to the Twenty-sixth Congress and serving from March 4, 1839, to March 3, 1841. During this second term he served as chairman of the Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds, giving him a role in overseeing federal properties and improvements in the nation’s capital. Leonard declined to be a candidate for reelection in 1840 to the Twenty-seventh Congress, thereby concluding his service in the House after two non-consecutive terms.

Following his congressional career, Leonard resumed and expanded his involvement in business and local public service. He engaged in mercantile and agricultural pursuits, reflecting the mixed economic character of his region in the mid-nineteenth century. He continued to hold local office, serving as supervisor of Owego from 1854 to 1856, a position that placed him at the head of town government during a period of growth and change. From 1857 to 1861 he served as a deputy United States marshal, linking him once again to the federal government, this time in a law enforcement and administrative capacity.

Stephen Banks Leonard spent the latter part of his life in Owego, maintaining his longstanding ties to the community where he had built his career in publishing, politics, and local government. He died in Owego, New York, on May 8, 1876. He was interred in the Presbyterian Church Burying Ground, reflecting his enduring connection to the town that had been the center of his professional and public life for more than six decades.