Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, she graduated with honors from Simon Gratz High School in 1950, and from the Eckles College of Mortuary Science in 1952.
She was unanimously voted to complete the unexpired term of Joseph F. Battle Jr. who left office after being elected county sheriff.
[4] In 1992, Leake lost re-election as mayor to Democrat Barbara Bohannan-Sheppard,[5] ending Republican rule of Chester since 1866.
The Leake administration was developing plans to build a large incinerator able to handle 4,000 tons of trash a day.
Meanwhile, Delaware County officials contracted with the Westinghouse Corporation to develop a more modestly sized incinerator in Chester.
[7] While Chester officials argued that their plans for a trash incinerator were safer for residents than the one planned by Delaware County, there was also a major difference in finances where the Chester developed plant would have meant $34 million in profit for the city, while the Delaware County developed plant would only provide $2 million annually.