Leonard G. Muse
| Leonard G. Muse | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Virginia Senate from the Roanoke district |
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In office January 1936 – January 1948 |
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| Preceded by | Abram P. Staples |
| Succeeded by | Earl A. Fitzpatrick |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 1, 1897 Roanoke, Virginia |
| Died | November 11, 1994 Roanoke, Virginia |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Martha Page Stone |
| Residence | Roanoke, Virginia |
| Alma mater |
Roanoke College University of Virginia Law School |
| Profession | Lawyer |
Leonard Gaston Muse (January 1, 1897 – November 11, 1994) was a Virginia lawyer and state Senator who represented Roanoke between 1936 and 1946. An independent Democrat who often criticized the Byrd Organization, Muse became involved in the Massive Resistance to racial integration vowed by U.S. Senator Harry F. Byrd after the U.S. Supreme Court decisions in Brown v. Board of Education as a member of the state board of education.
Born to Benjamin Franklin Muse and his wife Bertie Minnix Muse in Roanoke, Muse had a sister, Alma (1894-1991). He was educated in the city's public schools, and also graduated from Roanoke College. He then attended the University of Virginia School of Law.
Muse served in World War I, and practiced law and lived with his parents as the Great Depression started. He married Martha Page Stone (1904-1980) in 1931.
An independent Democrat (what the Byrd Organization called an "Anti", meaning Anti-Byrd Organization), Muse initially served on the Roanoke School Board from 1933 until 1936.
In 1935, Muse ran for the state senate seat in 21st District, then representing Roanoke City and Roanoke County and represented by Abram P. Staples since 1928 and who had been appointed Attorney General of Virginia after the 1934 session had ended. In that 1935 election, District 21 was combined with what had been District 22, which had previously included other parts of Roanoke County as well as Radford as well as Franklin and Montgomery Counties and had Byrd Democrat Harvey B. Apperson of Salem, Virginia (seat of Roanoke County) as its Senator. Now, District 21 had two Senators and Muse served alongside Apperson. In 1943, legislative redistricting after the 1940 census included creation of a District 36, consisting only of the City of Roanoke (with the Roanoke County and Radford and the other counties remaining in District 21). Muse was elected from that single-member district 36.
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