Born near Greensburg, Pennsylvania on November 15, 1839, Leighty moved with his parents to De Kalb County, Indiana in 1844, settling on a farm at Spencerville.

On July 1, 1861, after two years in college, he enlisted in the Union Army, becoming a member of Company E, Eleventh Indiana Volunteer Zouave Infantry.

After the war, Leighty engaged in farming and general merchandising with his father until 1875, when he established the town of St. Joe, in Indiana.

He died at St. Joe, De Kalb County, Indiana, on October 18, 1912, and is interred in Riverview Cemetery.

This article incorporates public domain material from the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress