Mark K. Updegrove
| Mark K. Updegrove | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
August 25, 1961 Abington, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Occupation | Author, Historian, Journalist, Television Commentator, Presidential Library Director |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Economics |
| Alma mater | University of Maryland, College Park |
| Subject | United States Presidency |
| Notable works | Indomitable Will: LBJ in the Presidency |
| Spouse | Amy Banner Updegrove |
Mark K. Updegrove (born August 25, 1961) is an American author, historian, journalist, television commentator, and director of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum in Austin, Texas.
Updegrove was born outside Philadelphia in Abington, PA, on Aug. 25, 1961. He attended high school in Newtown, PA, at the George School, which honored him with its Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2015. He attended Guilford College in Greensboro, NC, and graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park, with a Bachelor of Arts in economics in 1984.
Updegrove spent much of his early career in magazine publishing, including serving as manager of Time Magazine in Los Angeles; president of Time Canada, Time's separate Canadian edition and operation; and, publisher of Newsweek.
Since October 2009, Updegrove has served as the fourth director of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library in Austin, Texas.
Under Updegrove's direction, the library has hosted the Civil Rights Summit in 2014, which featured Barack and Michelle Obama, George W. and Laura Bush, Bill Clinton, and Jimmy Carter, and the Vietnam War Summit in 2016, which included John Kerry and Henry Kissinger.
Early in his tenure at the library, Updegrove oversaw the $11 million renovation of the library’s core exhibits on Lyndon Johnson and his administration, which opened in December 2012.
Updegrove's December 2014 Politico article, What 'Selma' Gets Wrong, ignited a controversy over the portrayal of Lyndon Johnson as an obstructionist on voting rights in the film Selma, touching off a debate about the importance of accuracy in films based on historic events. In January 2015, Updegrove addressed the issue on CBS' Face the Nation.
In 2013 and 2015, Updegrove taught The Johnson Years for Liberal Arts Honors students as an adjunct professor at The University of Texas at Austin. He has spoken extensively at numerous colleges and universities, museums, presidential libraries, and other public speaking forums.
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