Leslie Neil Dow Cranmer was born on February 19, 1887 in Canton, Pennsylvania. He lived in Elmira, New York for most of his life. His family roots went back to John and Priscilla Alden.

His grandfather, Marvin Coolbaugh, enlisted with Co. E, 52nd Pennsylvania Infantry on October 29, 1861 as a private. He reenlisted with the 7th Pennsylvania Independent Battery Light Artillery and mustered out on July 22, 1865.

Neil was a member of the General Diven Camp No. 77, Elmira and Co. E, 1st Regiment Sons of Veterans Reserve. On December 12, 1916, he was elected Camp Commander. He was elected as New York's Department Commander in 1923. Neil was appointed National Patriotic Instructor in 1944 and National Chaplain in 1947. He attended more than 40 National Encampments.

Neil served in the 309th Infantry, 78th Division during WWI.

He graduated Syracuse University in 1911. He was the founder of  two fraternities: Theta Alpha and Pi Delta Epsilon (1909). He was a Principal of East Bloomfield High School. For 33 years, Neil conducted citizenship classes at the Elmira Public Evening School and 900 foreign-born people passed their test. He was Managing Editor of the Daily Orange, In 1915, he started his own general insurance business which he operated until 1954.

Neil was a temperance leader and served as Director and Trustee of the New York State Temperance Federation and was National Traveling Secretary for the Intercollegiate Prohibition Association during 1914 and 1915. He ran for public offices as a Prohibition Party candidate: State Comptroller 1914 and 1926, Member of the Assembly in 1915, Secretary of State for New York in 1916, Governor in 1937, and U.S. Representative in 1934 and 1940.

He was a Master of Union Lodge 95 F. & A.M., a Secretary of the Cashmere Grotto, and Lay Delegate to the General Conference of Methodist Churches in 1932; he joined the church in 1901.

Neil married Leah Rogers and they had no children. After Leah died in 1925, he married Marie Black in 1942 and they had one daughter.

Brother Cranmer died on April 22, 1969 in Elmira and is buried at Park Cemetery in Canton, Pennsylvania. His obituary stated he “personified Elmira's thinning link with the Civil War” and “he was the local authority on Elmira's Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) posts.”