I lost my leader ......What do I do. Start over or get a new one (tried this)

No, no!! Don't start over!!
You have to search among your villagers for a new Chief!!
The chief's robe must be returned at its place, so bring you villagers to try it!

Remember that nursing mothers and their babies can't try on the cloak, so you might have to try them and their kids later to see if they are the Chosen One.

If you don't have many villagers (<20 or so) it is easiest to pause the game and pile everyone onto the podium and let them all fight it out. It's good fun watching them, too!

With more villagers it's probably easier to drag a villager to the podium and if that's not successful, go to the details screen and scroll to the next villager. Drag him/her to the podium, and repeat until everyone is accounted for or you find the new chief. That way you don't miss any villagers (apart from the nursing mothers, of course).

There is no need to start over. Just use your other villagers and find a chief among them. One chief can't last forever!

I start with the youngest female I have. If your female is a chief, she will still get pregnant. And the younger they start, the better your chances are of having a chief rule for 50 years.