Chapter 7 - Leonard Hugo Price and Joan Arnot Burr

Leonard Hugo Price was born in 1906 in Washington, D.C., the son of George Buckner Price. After working for the telephone company and in real estate, he joined the FBI as a clerk in 1927 while studying law at night. Despite an unfavorable recommendation from an investigator, he was appointed and worked in the Identification Division.

In 1930, Leonard transferred to the State Department. He earned his law degree in 1935. During his career, he served in various capacities, including managing export controls during World War II and working at the U.S. Embassy in Chile.

Leonard met Joan Arnot Burr on a Caribbean cruise in 1937. Joan, the daughter of Dr. William Burr, had graduated from the University of Toronto. They married later that year. Leonard’s career took the family to posts in Havana, Cuba, and Ottawa, Canada. His time in Cuba was marked by a critical inspection report, though he defended his performance citing the difficulties of the “Wristonization” program. He retired from the Foreign Service in 1966 and died in Florida in 1983.