William Lasater "Bill" McLeod, Jr., was born in 1931 in Marks, Mississippi. In 1942, McLeod's family moved to Lake Charles where his father was the minister of the First Presbyterian Church. McLeod attended Lake Charles High School, McNeese State University, Princeton University, and Louisiana State University Law School. From 1953-1955, McLeod served as a field artilleryman in the U.S. Army. McLeod married Lady Marilyn "Cissie" Qualls in 1962. The McLeods have three daughters, Ruth, Sara, and Martha. In 1968, McLeod organized his first successful campaign was elected State Representative from Lake Charles. During the 1968 session of the legislature, several reform-minded legislators banded together to form the "Young Turks." The "Young Turks" crafted a series a bills to change the way the state government operated and make it more accountable to the public. McLeod remained a State Representative until 1975 when he became a State Senator. In 1990, McLeod became a judge of the Fourteenth Judicial District Court. After McLeod's retirement from the bench in 1997, he practiced law privately until his death in 2003.
From the description of The William L. "Bill" McLeod, Jr. papers, 1940-2002. (McNeese State University). WorldCat record id: 56103232
