Kent Leonhardt (born April 2, 1954) is the West Virginia Commissioner of Agriculture, having been elected in November 2016, he took office January 2017. He is a member of the

United States Republican Party The Republican Party, also referred to as the GOP ("Grand Old Party"), is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States. The GOP was founded in 1854 by anti-slavery activists who opposed the Kansas–Nebraska Act, ...

. Leonhardt is a farmer operating a farm in western

Monongalia County, West Virginia Monongalia County, known locally as Mon County, is located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 105,822, making it West Virginia's third-most populous county. Its county seat is at Morgantown. The cou ...

. He raises sheep, cattle, and goats. He formerly served in the

West Virginia State Senate The West Virginia Senate is the upper house of the West Virginia Legislature. There are seventeen senatorial districts. Each district has two senators who serve staggered four-year terms. Although the Democratic Party held a supermajority in the ...

for the 2nd district. He is retired from the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through ...

as a lieutenant colonel. He holds a degree in wildlife management from the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus University of Missouri System. MU was founded ...

and an MBA from

Central Michigan University Central Michigan University (CMU) is a public research university in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. Established in 1892 as the Central Michigan Normal School and Business Institute, the private normal school became a state institution and renamed Cen ...

Electoral history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leonhardt, Ken 1954 births 21st-century American politicians Central Michigan University alumni Farmers from West Virginia Living people People from Monongalia County, West Virginia United States Marine Corps officers University of Missouri alumni West Virginia Commissioners of Agriculture Republican Party West Virginia state senators