Richard M. Leonard

Richard M. Leonard
Leonard in 1965
Born	October 22, 1908 Elyria, Ohio
Died	July 31, 1993(1993-07-31) (aged 84) Berkeley, California
Alma mater	University of California, Berkeley (B.A., J.D)
Occupation	Rock climber, environmentalist, attorney

Richard Manning Leonard (October 22, 1908 – July 31, 1993) was an American rock climber, environmentalist and attorney. He served as president of the Sierra Club and the Save the Redwoods League, and was active in the Wilderness Society and the American Alpine Club. Leonard was born in Elyria, Ohio and graduated from the University of California, Berkeley and also received his law degree from the University of California.

On March 13, 1932, Leonard formed the Cragmont Climbing Club in Berkeley, California with Jules Eichorn, Bestor Robinson and several others. Leonard took a systematic, experimental approach to rock climbing safety and technology, repeatedly testing climber falls and belaying techniques under carefully controlled conditions. Steve Roper called Leonard "the father of California rock climbing". In November, 1932, the Cragmont Climbing Club merged with the Sierra Club's new Rock Climbing Section.

In 1934, Leonard, along with Bestor Robinson and Jules Eichorn completed the first ascent of the Eichorn Pinnacle on Cathedral Peak, near Tuolumne Meadows in Yosemite National Park.

In 1934, Leonard, Eichorn and Robinson assembled the most advanced set of climbing gear then in use in North America, much of which they had obtained from Germany, and successfully climbed Higher Cathedral Spire in Yosemite Valley. This was the first major technical ascent in the famous scenic valley that became a mecca of rock climbing.