Leo Joseph Muir was born March 9, 1880 in Woods Cross, Utah and spent his first 17 years on the family farm. He was the ninth child of William Smith Muir and Lucy Darke Muir.

In 1902 he married Ethie May Malin. After graduating from the University of Utah, he became a school teacher and later a principal. He was the first principal of Stoker Elementary School located in the middle of Bountiful. Stoker Elementary was completed in 1904 and served the first eight grades of Bountiful. While principal, he also taught English, mathematics, and Latin. When he first became principal, the students were very unruly and he was forced to use physical punishment on students in order to restore peace to the school. Many times the faces of the girls were white with fear as they saw Mr. Muir thrash the boys for the offenses they had committed. On one occasion one of the boys came to class drunk and Mr. Muir threw him down the stairs, telling him not to return to class. But as a teacher and a disciplinarian, Mr. Muir gained the respect and admiration of the entire community. Leo J. Muir had a personal love for each student. He was never too busy with his scholastic duties that he could not pause to praise a student in the halls.

Leo J. Muir served as the principal of Stoker until 1910 when he became the first principal of Bountiful High School. The first high school in Bountiful was held in the old Relief Society Hall, which was west of Stoker School. It had formerly served as the City Hall. The first graduating class of Bountiful High School was in 1907. When Bountiful Junior High School was built, it was to have been a modern high school for Bountiful, However, plans were changed and Davis High School became the central high school for Davis County. Each end of the county had its own junior high school and the county had one centralized high school. Leo J. Muir was the first principal of Davis High School and served until 1920. He was known affectionately as the father of Davis County High School.

In 1920 Leo J. Muir became the mayor of Bountiful. During his first term, the first thought was given to insure city employees. Wastepaper cans were ordered for the city. He served four years on the Bountiful City Council and two terms as mayor. He was county chairman of the Democratic Party for 14 years and a member of the State Democratic Committee. He was honored to give the benediction following John F. Kennedy’s acceptance speech at the 1960 Democrat National Convention in Los Angeles.

In June of 1920 Leo J. Muir was appointed Utah State Superintendent of Public Schools by Governor Simon Bamberger. He also served as vice president of the Utah Education Association in 1920. He was a member of a committee of five state superintendents appointed by the N.E.A. to confer with the National Commissioner of Education in Washington D.C..

In 1922, Leo J. Muir moved to Los Angeles, California. Here he served as sales manager and member of the board of directors of National Thrift Corporation of America; for two years as director of the Los Angeles County Welfare Department; founder and editor of California Intermountain News and was a member of many other organizations in the Los Angeles Area.

Leo J. Muir was first counselor in the original presidency of the Los Angeles LDS Stake (1923-1927) and served as president of the Los Angeles LDS Stake from 1927-1939. In 1939 he was called to preside over the Northern States Mission with headquarters in Chicago. The mission included the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Michigan.

In 1943 Leo J. Muir was released from his position as mission president and he and his wife returned to Los Angeles. In 1949 his wife died. The next year he married Ilda LeCheminant, a valued friend of the family. Ilda died in 1954 and Leo J. Muir continued to live in Los Angeles where he wrote several historical books and family histories.

When he was over 80 year old, Leo J. Muir returned to Utah to live. He died August 3, 1967 shortly before ground was broken for the school that would bear his name.

Leo J. Muir was loved by his students because of his pleasant ways and his inspiring quality of teaching. His lifetime was devoted to the establishment of educational facilities and smoothing the path of young people. He was progressive in his views on education.