Presidential Historian Mark Updegrove Named to Head LBJ Library

Acting Archivist of the United States Adrienne Thomas this week announced the appointment of Presidential historian Mark K. Updegrove as the new director of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library. His appointment is effective October 11, 2009.

Mr. Updegrove is the author of two major works on the Presidency. Second Acts: Presidential Lives and Legacies After the White House was published in 2006. It won the Book of the Year Silver Medal Award for Political Science from ForeWord Magazine. Earlier this year, Mr. Updegrove’s Baptism By Fire: Eight Presidents Who Took Office in Times of Crisis was published.

Additionally, he conceived and co-developed “Time and the Presidency,” a multi-media program featuring Time photographs of President Franklin Roosevelt through Clinton, along with reflections from Time’s Hugh Sidey.

As an historical and political commentator, Mr. Updegrove has appeared on CNN, CBS News, ABC News, and NPR, among others. He has lectured at the University of Pennsylvania, Monroe College, the University of Virginia’s Miller Center of Public Affairs, and the National Constitution Center on topics related to the Presidency.

Updegrove has been Director of Business Development at Rawle Murdy, a private communications firm. He has also served as Vice President and Head of Sales and Operations at Yahoo! Canada; Vice President and Publisher of Nickelodeon Magazine and MTV Magazine; U.S. Publisher of Newsweek; and spent eleven years in several leadership roles at Time, Inc. including Los Angeles Manager of Time and President of Time Canada, Time’s Canadian edition and operation.

Updegrove graduated from the University of Maryland with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics in 1984.