He was educated at Clevedon School and Mill Hill School, at University College, Bristol, and at Clare College, Cambridge, where he was awarded a first-class BA in the Historical Tripos in 1884.
He was appointed a lecturer in History and Literature at University College, Bristol, in 1901.
In his obituary in The Times, he was described as "devoted less to the study than to the teaching of history, using it as an instrument for educating mind and character alike.
He always chose to dwell on the social and cultural aspects of history, and his interpretations were marked by great imaginative sympathy.
"[2] After his death, his widow and second cousin – Mary Leonard, née Warren (1868–1928) – endowed the "George Hare Leonard Memorial Lecture" and the "George Hare Leonard Prize" at the University of Bristol, the latter given for the best overall performance in Part II examinations in History.