Christopher J. Leahy

Christopher J. Leahy is a professor of history at Keuka College, where he specializes in the political and cultural history of the early American republic. He earned his Ph.D. in history from Louisiana State University, his M.A. from Virginia Tech, and his B.A. from Washington and Jefferson College.

Leahy is the author of President Without a Party: The Life of John Tyler (Louisiana State University Press, 2020), praised by the Wall Street Journal as a “deeply researched, gracefully written reappraisal.” Available on Amazon. His forthcoming co-authored book with Sharon Williams Leahy, Presidentess: The Life of First Lady Julia Gardiner Tyler (University Press of Kansas, 2026), extends his scholarship to one of the nineteenth century’s most complex and misunderstood First Ladies.

His essays and chapters have appeared in A Companion to First Ladies, Southern First Ladies: Culture and Place in White House History, and the Virginia Magazine of History and Biography. Leahy’s research explores the interplay of politics, family, and identity in nineteenth-century America, blending rigorous scholarship with accessible storytelling.

He has been interviewed on politics and political history by C-SPAN, the Finger Lakes Times and 97.9 Finger Lakes Radio. In 2023, he was elected to the Board of Directors of the First Ladies Association for Research and Education (FLARE), where he also serves as founding editor of its new publication, The Journal of First Ladies Studies, launching in 2026.