Leininger later settled in San Antonio, where he taught at the
University of Texas Health Science Center in 1972 and 1973. One of his Kinetic Concepts employees,
Susan Weddington of San Antonio, was the state chairman of the
Republican Party of Texas from 1997 to 2003. His other business ventures include the
private venture investment firm MedCare Investment Funds in 1991, the co-founding of ATX Technologies in 1994, where he later served on its board of directors, and co-founding the Renal Care Group in 1995. He currently sits on the boards of BioNumerik Pharmaceuticals and
Spurs Sports & Entertainment. Leininger has invested in Florida real estate and food companies, including Promised Land Foods, Sunday House Foods, Seafood Wholesalers of Houston, and Plantation Seafood Co.
Political activism Leininger founded Texans for Justice in 1988, the
Texas Public Policy Foundation in 1989, a think tank which opposes the prevailing theory of climate change, and opposes the shift to sustainable mobility. Leininger has also been involved with Texans for Governmental Integrity. He supported
Thomas R. Phillips' campaign for Chief Justice of the
Texas Supreme Court and made significant donations to
George W. Bush when he was
governor of Texas), former Governor
Rick Perry, and the state Republican Party.
Christian activism Leininger is a self-described devout Christian and has been described as "an extremist" by his political opponents, a label which he describes as being "a sad commentary on where politics is today." Tex Lezar, a 1994 Republican nominee for Texas lieutenant governor, has said of Leininger that "[h]e believes in putting his time, effort and money behind things he believes in[.] . . . I've never sensed an ulterior motive for Jim. It's all philosophical." A proponent of
school vouchers, Leininger launched CEO San Antonio to award vouchers to children from modest backgrounds. He also sits on the board of directors of CEO America, another school voucher organization. He sat on the advisory board of the
Institute in Basic Life Principles.
Philanthropy In addition to political contributions, Leininger supports a range of charitable initiatives in education, humanitarian aid, and scientific research. In 1997, he reportedly donated $1.5 million to
Vanderbilt University, $2.5 million to
Vision Forum, $3 million to the
University of Miami, and $300,000 for diabetes research to the University of Texas Medical Center.
Personal life Married in 1976, Leininger and his wife, Cecelia, have four children and five grandchildren. ==References==