Biography

arc Leepson is a journalist, historian and the author of seven books, most recently: Lafayette: Lessons in Leadership from the Idealist General (Palgrave/Macmillan, 2011), a concise biography of the famed Marquis de Lafayette. His previous books are Desperate Engagement, the story of the Civil War Battle of Monocacy and Confederate General Jubal Early’s subsequent march on Washington (Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin’s Press, 2007), Flag: An American Biography (Thomas Dunne Books, 2005), the history of the Stars and Stripes from the beginnings to today and Saving Monticello: The Levy Family’s Epic Quest to Rescue the House that Jefferson Built (Free Press/Simon & Schuster, hardcover, 2001; University of Virginia Press, paper, 2003). He edited The Webster’s New World Dictionary of the Vietnam War (Macmillan, 1998), and wrote two books on health topics in the 1980s.

A former staff w riter for Congressional Quarterly in Washington, D.C., he has been a free-lance writer since 1986. He has written for many newspapers and magazines, including Preservation, Smithsonian, Military History, Civil War Times, America's Civil War, Vietnam magazine, the Washington Post, New York Times, New York Times Book Review, The Wall Street Journal, Baltimore Sun, Chicago Tribune, Detroit News, Dallas Morning News, Christian Science Monitor, Newsday, The Arizona Republic, St. Petersburg Times, and USA Today. He also has written entries for the Encyclopedia Americana, the Encyclopedia Americana Yearbook, and the Dictionary of Virginia Biography. Since March of 1986, he has been arts editor and columnist for The VVA Veteran, the newspaper published by Vietnam Veterans of America. He teaches U.S. history at Lord Fairfax Community College in Warrenton, Virginia.

He has been interviewed many times on radio and television, including on The Today Show, CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, All Things Considered, Talk of the Nation, To The Point, Morning Edition, The Diane Rehm Show, Irish Radio, and CBC (Canada). He has presented papers, chaired panels at academic conferences, and spoken to students at American University, Appalachian State University, the College of William and Mary, the Foxcroft School, George Mason University, Georgetown University, George Washington University, Lynchburg College, Salisbury State University, Texas Tech University, Tulane University, the University of Maryland, the University of Massachusetts, Boston, University of Miami, and University of Notre Dame.

Since the early 1990’s he has been active in many non-profit groups. That includes board memberships on the Middleburg (Virginia) Library Advisory Board (President and Vice President), the Loudoun County (Virginia) Library Board of Trustees, the Library of Virginia Foundation (Treasurer), the Virginia State Library Board, the YMCA of Loudoun County (Virginia), the Goose Creek Association (Secretary), and the Mosby Heritage Area Association (Treasurer, President).

He graduated from George Washington University in 1967. After serving in the U.S. Army from 1967-69, including a year in the Vietnam War, he received his honorable discharge and went on to earn a Masters Degree in history from George Washington University in 1971. He lives with his wife Janna and their children, Devin and Cara, in Loudoun County, Virginia.

Contact Marc Leepson at Marc527psc@aol.com
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