The Marquis

While there is no shortage of biographies about the Marquis de Lafayette, this important confidant of the colonies remains one of the most iconic and beloved figures of the American Revolution. We look forward to hosting journalist and historian Mark Leepson on Lafayette: Lessons in Leadership from the Idealist General, now launching its second printing with the University of Virginia Press. His focus goes beyond a chronology of his life and more specifically highlights the principled, persistent, and idealistic leadership qualities Lafayette demonstrated, all of which resonate greatly in today’s political landscape.

Purchase Tickets HERE!

If you are unable to attend the event, but would like to purchase one or more copies, please visit Buxton Books.

About the Book

The Marquis de Lafayette is an icon of both American and French history. Lafayette: Idealist General, a concise and engaging biography of this captivating figure, was first published in hardcover as part of Macmillan’s World Generals Series, and now available in a paperback edition for the first time from the University of Virginia Press. The book reveals how Lafayette, born in 1757 into an aristocratic French family of warriors, traveled to the colonies at the age of nineteen to fight as a volunteer in the Revolutionary War. Continental Army Major General Lafayette was soon embraced by George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, who became his lifelong friends. A fearless, accomplished battlefield commander, Lafayette also helped to convince the French court to provide crucial financial and military support to the Americans, which immeasurably aided the defeat of the British. On his return to France, Lafayette played a leading role in the movement to make France a constitutional monarchy. He served as commander of the National Guard during the French Revolution, and as a member of the Chamber of Deputies, opposed Napoleon’s rule. Later, in 1830, he was instrumental in ending the short-lived July Revolution that brought the “citizen king,” Louis-Philippe, to the throne. This focused biography of the legendary French statesman and military man offers a unique examination of his remarkable military career on both sides of the Atlantic.

About the Author

Journalist and historian Marc Leepson is the author of eleven books, including Saving Monticello; Flag: An American Biography, a history of the Stars & Stripes from its beginnings to the 21^st century; What So Proudly We Hailed: Francis Scott Key, A Life; and Lafayette: Idealist General, a concise biography of the Marquis de Lafayette. His latest book, The Unlikely War Hero, a slice-of-life biography of Doug Hegdahl, the youngest and lowest-ranking American POW held in North Vietnam, was published in December 2024. A former staff writer for Congressional Quarterly in Washington, D.C., he has written for many magazines and newspapers, including Preservation, Smithsonian, Military History, Civil War Times, the Washington Post, New York Times, New York Times Book Review, and The Wall Street Journal. He has also written entries for the Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Americana, and the Dictionary of Virginia Biography. He is Senior Writer, Arts Editor, and columnist for The VVA Veteran, the magazine published by Vietnam Veterans of America. From 2008-2015, he taught U.S. history at Laurel Ridge Community College in Warrenton, Virginia. He has been interviewed many times on radio, television, and podcasts, including on The Today Show, CNN, MSNBC, Discovery Channel, The History Channel, History Detectives, All Things Considered, Talk of the Nation, Morning Edition, and The BBC NewsHour. And he has presented papers, chaired panels at academic conferences, and spoken to students at many colleges, universities, and high schools. Marc Leepson 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 Master’s Degree in history from George Washington in 1971. He lives in Loudoun County, Virginia, with his wife, Janna. Their daughter, son-in-law, and two-and-a-half-year-old twin granddaughters live on James Island.