Former Congressman, longtime UI supporter Jim Leach dies

Wednesday, December 11, 2024

Former longtime Iowa Congressman and University of Iowa friend and supporter Jim Leach passed away Wednesday, Dec. 11. He was 82.

Representing eastern Iowa in the U.S. House of Representatives for three decades, Leach developed a close connection to the UI, eventually serving as a faculty member in the College of Law and as interim director of the Stanley Museum of Art.

"Jim was a relentless advocate for our state, its people, and this university," says Peter Matthes, UI vice president for external relations. "He lived a life of service that we should all aspire to emulate."

Jim Leach

Serving in Congress from 1977 to 2007, Leach championed academic research, supporting science and humanities programs that resulted in more than a half-billion dollars of peer-reviewed competitive grants to the UI. He chaired numerous committees during his career and was widely regarded as an intellectual powerhouse.

Matthes says Leach, a high school state wrestling champion for Davenport in 1960, approached his work with the same tenacity, outpreparing everyone else and referring to the citizens of Iowa as "his team."

"During my time working for Jim on his congressional staff and later with him at Iowa, I witnessed his fierce belief in the power of public service and education. Our state and university have lost a respected leader and a dear friend," says Matthes.

After his time in elected office, Leach accepted teaching positions at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and Princeton's School of Public and International Affairs. He then served four years as chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities before returning to Iowa to accept a three-year dual appointment as the University of Iowa chair of public affairs and visiting professor of law.

"Jim Leach contributed significantly to the College of Law after he left Congress," says Kevin Washburn, dean of the UI College of Law. "Though not a lawyer, he wrote many laws during his 30 years in Congress, and that made his teaching a rich resource for students and faculty. We will miss him."

Leach served as the interim director of the UI Museum of Art (UIMA) from January 2017 to April 2018, during which time the museum was renamed after benefactors Richard (Dick) and Mary Jo Stanley. Leach collaborated with external architects and the UIMA planning team on the design of the new museum, and he and his wife, Deba, donated more than 300 artworks to the museum.

Lauren Lessing, director of the UI Stanley Museum of Art, says she was saddened to hear of Leach's passing.

"He guided the museum through a pivotal period, including overseeing the remaining phases of the international tour of Jackson Pollock's Mural and contributing to the planning of a new museum facility, which would become the Stanley Museum of Art," says Lessing. "Jim and Deba have also donated more than 300 works of art to the museum, including works on paper by Robert Indiana, Oskar Kokoschka, Audrey Flack, and Jacob Lawrence, among many other notable artists."

Leach earned a bachelor's degree from Princeton University, a master's degree from Johns Hopkins University, and held 13 honorary degrees. During his time in Congress, he served as the chair of the Committee on Banking and Financial Services and as a senior member of the Committee on International Relations.

Leach donated his public and private papers to the UI Libraries, recognizing the long relationship he had with Iowa.

"Jim Leach's extraordinary contributions to the University of Iowa will leave an enduring legacy," says Lynette Marshall, president and chief executive officer of the UI Center for Advancement. "His generous donations to the UI Stanley Museum of Art and his public and private papers to the UI Libraries reflect his deep commitment to the university and its mission. Jim's thoughtful and lasting gifts will continue to inspire and enrich generations to come, embodying his belief in the power of shared knowledge and culture."

Upon earning a Distinguished Alumni (and friend) Award in 2015, Leach described the university as a place of warm friends and colleagues.

"We live in a fractured world where events in one part can affect gravely peoples and places far distant," he said at the time. "In this circumstance where so many things happen beyond our control, it is important to have roots - family, faith, friends, community. Ties of loyalty give compass and meaning to life. All of us need things to love that can be shared. This university is one."