James Richard Leininger (born 1944) is an American physician, businessman and conservative and Christian activist from
San Antonio
San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...
, Texas.
Early life and education
Leininger was born in
Warsaw, Indiana
Warsaw is a city in and the county seat of Kosciusko County, Indiana, United States. Warsaw has a population of 15,804 as of the 2020 U.S. Census. Warsaw also borders a smaller town, Winona Lake.
Etymology
Warsaw, named after the capital of ...
, in 1944, and grew up in Indiana and Florida. He attended
Indiana University Indianapolis
Indiana University Indianapolis (IU Indianapolis or IU Indy) is an urban public research university located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and is a core campus of the Indiana University system. It was founded on July 1, 2024 after its predecesso ...
, where he received a
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...
in 1965 and a
Doctor of Medicine
A Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated MD, from the Latin language, Latin ) is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the ''MD'' denotes a professional degree of ph ...
in 1969.Official website biography /ref>BioNumerik Pharmaceuticals Board of Director /ref>
He completed a two-year internship at the
Miller School of Medicine
The University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, officially Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, is the University of Miami's graduate medical school in Miami, Florida. Founded in 1952, it is the oldest medical school in the state of Florida.
...
at the
University of Miami
The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private university, private research university in Coral Gables, Florida, United States. , the university enrolled 19,852 students in two colleges and ten schools across over ...
in Miami, and then post-graduate courses at the
Center for Disease Control
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the national public health agency of the United States. It is a United States federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and is headquartered in Atlanta, ...
in Atlanta, the
Brooke Army Medical Center
Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) is the United States Army's premier medical institution. Located on Fort Sam Houston, BAMC is a 425-bed academic medical center, and is the Department of Defense's largest facility and only Level 1 trauma center ...
in
San Antonio
San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...
,
Walter Reed Army Institute of Research
The Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) is the largest biomedical research facility administered by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). The institute is centered at the Forest Glen Annex, in the Forest Glen Park part of the u ...
in
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
, and
Fort Sam Houston
Fort Sam Houston is a United States Army, U.S. Army post in San Antonio, Texas.
"Fort Sam Houston, TX • About Fort Sam Houston" (overview), US Army, 2007, webpageSH-Army. Known colloquially as "Fort Sam", it is named for the first president o ...
in San Antonio, where he also lectured.
Career
Leininger later settled in San Antonio, where he taught at the
University of Texas Health Science Center
The University of Texas System (UT System) is a public university system in the U.S. state of Texas. It includes nine universities and five independent health institutions. The UT System is headquartered in Downtown Austin. It is the large ...
in 1972 and 1973.
In 1976, Leininger founded
Kinetic Concepts
Kinetic Concepts, Inc., (KCI) is a global corporation that produces medical technology related to wounds and wound healing. KCI produced the first product developed specifically for negative pressure wound therapy. In 2013, the company employed 5, ...
, a global medical technology corporation, where he later served as
chairman emeritus
The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...
.R.G. Ratcliffe, 'Businessman invests capital in his causes / Leininger's millions helped conservatives make gains', in ''
The Houston Chronicle
The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. ...
'', 09/21/1997 One of his Kinetic Concepts employees, Susan Weddington of San Antonio, was the state chairman of the
Republican Party of Texas
The Republican Party of Texas (RPT) is the Texas affiliate of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party in the United States. It is currently chaired by Abraham George (politician), Abraham George, who succeeded Matt Rinaldi in 2024 ...
from 1997 to 2003.
His other business ventures include the private venture investment firm MedCare Investment Funds in 1991, the co-founding of ATX Technologies in 1994, where he later served on its board of directors, and co-founding the Renal Care Group in 1995. He served as director for the Emergency Department of the
Baptist Health System
Baptist Health System is a hospital and medical facility system located in San Antonio, Texas, United States. It is owned by Tenet Healthcare.
History
In 1903 a group of 30 or more physicians, members of the young Bexar County Medical Society, t ...
in San Antonio from 1975 to 1985 and on the board of directors for
Texas Commerce Bank
The Texas Commerce Bank (officially Texas Commerce Bank N.A., with its parent bank holding company known as Texas Commerce Bancshares, Inc.) was a Texas-based bank acquired by Chemical Banking Corporation of New York in May 1987. The acquisit ...
from 1985 to 1991.Official website, Civic & Community Affairs /ref> He currently sits on the boards of BioNumerik Pharmaceuticals and
Spurs Sports & Entertainment
Spurs Sports & Entertainment L.L.C. (SS&E) is an American sports and entertainment organization based in San Antonio, Texas. The company owns and operates several sporting franchises including the National Basketball Association (NBA) San Antoni ...
.
Leininger has invested in florida real estate and food companies, including Promised Land Foods, Sunday House Foods, Seafood Wholesalers of Houston, and Plantation Seafood Co. He owns the direct mail firm Focus Direct, Inc. and the television station Mission City Television, Inc. He is a part-owner of the
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...
.
He is a member of the
American Medical Association
The American Medical Association (AMA) is an American professional association and lobbying group of physicians and medical students. This medical association was founded in 1847 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Membership was 271,660 ...
, the
Texas Medical Association
The Texas Medical Association (TMA) is a professional nonprofit organization representing over 59,000 physicians, residents, medical student and alliance members. It is located in Austin, has 110 component county medical societies around the state ...
, and the Institute of American Entrepreneurs. In 2007, he was inducted into the Texas Business Hall of Fame.Official website, Honors & Awards /ref>
Political activism
Leininger founded Texans for Justice in 1988, the
Texas Public Policy Foundation
The Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) is an American conservative think tank based in Austin, Texas. The organization was co-founded in 1989 by James R. Leininger and Fritz S. Steiger, who sought intellectual support for his education refor ...
in 1989, a think tank which opposes the prevailing theory of climate change, and opposes the shift to sustainable mobility. Leininger has also been involved with Texans for Governmental Integrity.'Who is James Leininger?', in ''
The Texas Tribune
''The Texas Tribune'' is a nonprofit politics and public policy news website headquartered in Austin, Texas, United States. Its stated aim is to promote civic engagement through original, explanatory journalism and public events.
''The Texas T ...
'', 8/26/2011 /ref>Paul Blumenthal, 'Religious Right Millionaire Backed Rick Perry's Career, Paved Texas Conservative Politics With Money', in ''
Huffington Post
''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers ...
Texas Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of Texas (SCOTX) is the court of last resort for civil matters (including juvenile delinquency cases, which are categorized as civil under the Texas Family Code) in the U.S. state of Texas. A different court, the Texas Court o ...
and made significant donations to
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...
when he was
governor of Texas
The governor of Texas is the head of state of the U.S. state of Texas. The governor is the head of the executive branch of the government of Texas and is the commander-in-chief of the Texas Military Forces.
Established in the Constit ...
), former Governor
Rick Perry
James Richard Perry (born March 4, 1950) is an American politician who served as the 14th United States secretary of energy from 2017 to 2019 in the first administration of Donald Trump. He previously served as the 47th governor of Texas fr ...
, and the state Republican Party.Eileen Smith, 'Governor stumbles on the trail, leads in the polls', in ''
The Texas Observer
''The Texas Observer'' (also known as the ''Observer'') is an American magazine with a liberal political outlook. The ''Observer'' is published bimonthly by a 501(c)(3) /ref>Nathan Bernier, 'Report: Christian Retreat For Perry This Weekend In Hill Country', in ''
KUT
Kūt (), officially Al-Kut, also spelled Kutulamare, Kut al-Imara, or Kut Al Amara is a city in eastern Iraq, on the left bank of the Tigris River, about south east of Baghdad, and the capital of the Wasit Governorate. the estimated populatio ...
'', August 25, 201 /ref>
Christian activism
Leininger is a self-described devout Christian and has been described as "an extremist" by his political opponents, a label which he describes as being "a sad commentary on where politics is today." Tex Lezar, a 1994 Republican nominee for Texas lieutenant governor, has said of Leininger that " believes in putting his time, effort and money behind things he believes in . . . I've never sensed an ulterior motive for Jim. It's all philosophical."
Leininger sits on the board of
Patrick Henry College
Patrick Henry College (PHC) is a private liberal arts non-denominational conservative Protestant Christian college located in Purcellville, Virginia. Its departments teach classical liberal arts, government, strategic intelligence in national se ...
, founded in Virginia by the conservative activist Michael Farris.Patrick Henry College, Board of Trustees /ref> A proponent of
school vouchers
A school voucher, also called an education voucher in a voucher system, is a certificate of government funding for students at schools chosen by themselves or their parents. Funding is usually for a particular year, term, or semester. In some cou ...
, Leininger launched CEO San Antonio to award vouchers to children from modest backgrounds.Evan Smith, 'Money Talks', in ''
Texas Monthly
''Texas Monthly'' (stylized as ''TexasMonthly'') is a monthly American magazine headquartered in Downtown Austin, Texas. Founded in 1973 by Michael R. Levy, ''Texas Monthly'' chronicles life in contemporary Texas, writing on politics, the Natura ...
'', June 200 /ref> He also sits on the board of directors of CEO America, another school voucher organization. He is a former board member of the Carver Academy. He owned the copyright for The Beginner's Bible, as well.''Working Mother'', Vol. 23, No. 5, ISSN 0278-193X, p. 55 /ref>
He sat on the advisory board of the
Institute in Basic Life Principles
The Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP) is a nondenominational Christian fundamentalist organisation established by American Christian minister Bill Gothard in 1961. The stated purpose of the organization is to provide instruction on ho ...
.
Philanthropy
In addition to political contributions, Leininger supports a range of charitable initiatives in education, humanitarian aid, and scientific research. In 1997, he reportedly donated $1.5 million to
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private university, private research university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provide ...
, $2.5 million to
Vision Forum
Vision Forum was an evangelical Christian organization based in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1998; its president was Doug Phillips, son of U.S. Constitution Party leader Howard Phillips. Vision Forum Ministries was a 501(c) non-profi ...
, $3 million to the
University of Miami
The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private university, private research university in Coral Gables, Florida, United States. , the university enrolled 19,852 students in two colleges and ten schools across over ...
, and $300,000 for diabetes research to the University of Texas Medical Center. Other recipients include
Boy Scouts of America
Scouting America is the largest scouting organization and one of the largest List of youth organizations, youth organizations in the United States, with over 1 million youth, including nearly 200,000 female participants. Founded as the Boy Sco ...
,
Habitat for Humanity
Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI), generally referred to as Habitat for Humanity or Habitat, is a U.S. non-governmental, and tax-exempt 501(C)(3) Christian nonprofit organization which seeks to build affordable housing. The international ...
, the
American Red Cross
The American National Red Cross is a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit Humanitarianism, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. Clara Barton founded ...
, the Mental Health Association,
YMCA
YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It has nearly 90,000 staff, some 920,000 volunteers and 12,000 branches w ...
, The Miracle Foundation, and orphanages in Africa, Central America, Haiti, India, Myanmar, Romania, Russia, Thailand, and Ukraine.Official website, philanthropy /ref>
Personal life
Married in 1976, Leininger and his wife, Cecelia, have four children and five grandchildren.