 Born in Deweyville, Texas, Leggett attended Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and, after serving in the Vietnam War with the U.S. Army, earned a law degree from Howard University in Washington, D.C.In 1986, he became the first African-American elected to the county council in Montgomery County, Maryland and served on the council through 2002.For two years, Leggett served as the chairman of the Maryland Democratic Party before leaving that position to run for office once again.