Leonard Brockington was born in 1888 in Wales, and immigrated to Canada in 1912, before moving to Edmonton, Alberta. He worked as a journalist while he attended Law School at the University of Alberta. He was the first chairman of the newly formed Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) and he was elected to the board of directors of the Globe and Mail in 1959. He held honorary degrees from the University of Wales, Queen's University, University of Western Ontario, and Syracuse University. He was an honorary life member of the Canadian Bar Association. He was also an honorary member of the American Bar Association, the Bar of New York City and New York State. He traveled around the world writing speeches and giving reports for CBC Radio. Brockington died in 1966 at the age of 78.