!SOURCE: Scott Richard McLeod, smcleod@@landoflakes.com
[The following biographical narrative is based upon information gleaned
from the Brenton McLeod Family Tree, and interviews with Brenton
Archibald McLeod''s son, Thomas James McLeod.]
Brenton was born and raised in a rural farm community called Tintah
Township in Traverse County Minnesota. When his family relocated to St.
Paul Minnesota, he remained in Tintah. He took a job with a railroad.
Seeing first hand the way companies treated their employees at the
time, this is where he became a very "pro-union" worker. This opinion
changed slowly over his life as unions changed and he felt that became
as bad as the companies they were created to fight.
With the divorce of his parents, Brenton joined his family in St. Paul to
offer financial and emotional support for the family. Brenton''s son Tom
recalls that he believes Brenton had desired to go to the seminary and
join the ministry. This is a dream we was forced to give up with his
parents divorce.
Brenton graduated from St. Paul College Of Law in St. Paul Minnesota
Brenton met his wife Frances at a State of Minnesota office where they
both worked. He joined Dick Reynolds to start a law firm named
"Reynolds and McLeod" specializing in workman''s compensation. When
Dick Reynolds died of a heart attack, Brenton brought a new lawyer
named Kirt Gillmoore into the company and they became "McLeod and
Gillmoore". Brenton''s legal practice continued to specialize in worker
compensation. He represented some 30 or more insurance companies in
workman''s compensation issues.
In October of 1961, Brenton and Frances were seriously injured in a car
accident. While driving home from the Lost Spur Supper Club, a
malfunction in the steering of their car caused them to loose control and
drive into a barrier. Brenton suffered a very serious head injury. Frances
broke most of the bones in her face. Were it not for the fact that a
policeman witnessed the accident and called for help immediately, they
would likely have bleed to death. While in the Emergency Room, Brenton
suffered a heart attack. Several ribs were broken attempting to revive
him. And while he survived, the staff was so busy working on his heart,
the head wound was ignored and he wound up with a permanent scare on
his forehead after that. Frances also recovered, but reconstructive
surgery left one eye noticeably lower than the other. She frequently
wore darkening sun glasses to help hide this.
Brenton was a laid back, calm and easy type of man. I recall one
occasion with my father, while buying a car. He recalled his father
hated to negotiate for cars and he never did. His job had him haggling all
day long and he refused to do it in his free time. Frances on the other
hand, often spoke her mind easily. She may well have been the epitomy
of the "woman behind the man". My father recalls a dinner hosted at the
governors mansion that helped Brenton network his career. This was a
dinner he didn''t want to attend, but did so at the insistence of Frances.
Brenton and Frances were very active in the church. They helped form
discussion groups all through out the State of Minnesota. Brenton was
also a member of the Equestrian Order of the Knights of the Holy
Sepulchre.