He studied medicine at the University of Melbourne for two years, but after falling out with his father he prospected for gold in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia and played football in Fremantle.

In 1920, the eldest of his daughters from his first marriage, Pattie Maie married future Prime Minister Robert Menzies.

After leaving local government in 1911, he was elected as member for Benambra in the Victorian Legislative Assembly in 1913 as a Commonwealth Liberal Party candidate.

[1][2] Three months later, Leckie died of cancer at his home in the Melbourne suburb of Hawthorn, survived by his wife and their son and by three daughters from his first marriage.

His son Roland Leckie was the member for the state seat of Evelyn from 1950 to 1952 and later a crown prosecutor and a judge of the County Court.