Barbara M. Leonard (née Martin; June 12, 1924 – January 24, 2013) was an American Republican politician. She was born in Newport in 1924.She was a candidate for the United States Senate in 1984 as a Republican, but lost to incumbent Claiborne Pell. She served as the Secretary of State of Rhode Island from 1993 to 1995 as a Republican.Leonard served on several state boards and commissions, including the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation, the state's Port Authority and the state Advisory Committee on Refugee Resettlement.Leonard died on January 24, 2013, aged 88.
An police evidence photo of Barbara Leonard, with the words "Last Warning" written on her back, adorns the cover of the book "Beverly Hills Confidential: A Century of Stars, Scandals and Murders" by Barbara Schroeder and Clark Fogg. An article in the book details the origin of the photograph.
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In the 1930 US Federal Census her husband's occupation was recorded as "musician, music school".
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In 1935 she was beaten and robbed in her Hollywood home by two men posing as door-to-door salesmen. The next week papers across the country began to run a picture of the angry actress toting a revolver and daring the thugs to return.
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Said her big break came when she did an act with Maurice Chevalier in "Paramount on Parade" (1930).
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Fluent in five languages, English, French, German, Spanish and Italian.