Elijah Leonard was an Ontario businessman and political figure. He was a Liberal

Liberal Party of Canada

The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...

 member of the Senate of Canada from 1867 to 1891.

He was born on a farm near Syracuse, New York

Syracuse, New York

Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...

 in 1814, the son of Elijah Leonard. In 1830, he moved with his family to Normandale in Upper Canada

Upper Canada

The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...

, where his father was working at a foundry

Foundry

A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal in a mold, and removing the mold material or casting after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals processed are aluminum and cast iron...

 owned by Joseph Van Norman. In 1834, with his father and a partner, he established a foundry at St. Thomas

St. Thomas, Ontario

St. Thomas is a city in southern , Ontario, Canada. It is the seat for Elgin County and gained its city charter on March 4, 1881.-History:...

. The partner was bought out and his father retired, leaving him in charge of the business.

In 1840, Leonard set up a machine shop and foundry at London, Ontario

London, Ontario

London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...

, on York Street where he began to manufacture agricultural equipment and then cars, track and other equipment for railways. The company, now known as E. Leonard and Sons, went on to manufacture steam boilers and steam-powered equipment. In 1847, he married Emeline, the daughter of Elijah Cocker Woodman. He was elected to the London municipal council

London City Council

London City Council is the governing body of the city of London, Ontario, Canada.-Composition:One Councillor represents each of the 14 city wards along with the Mayor,Joe Fontana resulting in a 15-member city council....

 in 1854 and became mayor in 1857. In 1862, he was elected to the Legislative Council of the Province of Canada

Legislative Council of the Province of Canada

The Legislative Council of the Province of Canada was the upper house for the Province of Canada, which consisted of the former provinces of Lower Canada, then known as Canada East and later the province of Quebec, and Upper Canada, then known as Canada West and later the province of Ontario...

 for Malahide division; Leonard was named to the Senate after Confederation

Canadian Confederation

Canadian Confederation was the process by which the federal Dominion of Canada was formed on July 1, 1867. On that day, three British colonies were formed into four Canadian provinces...

. Besides his manufacturing interests, he also helped found the London and Lake Huron Railway, the London Savings Bank and the Huron and Erie Savings and Loan Society.

Leonard died in London, Ontario in 1891.

After his death, his two sons continued to operate the company, which remained family-run until 1945.