About the Authors

Chris and Sharon Leahy are husband-and-wife historians whose shared curiosity about the past led to President without a Party: The Life of John Tyler and Presidentess: The Life of First Lady Julia Gardiner Tyler, the forthcoming definitive biography of First Lady Julia Gardiner Tyler.

Their collaboration began unexpectedly when Chris received boxes of copies of Julia Tyler’s handwritten letters while researching his presidential biography. Unable to read her nineteenth-century script, he enlisted Sharon’s help. As she transcribed the letters, Julia’s voice, ambition, and complexity emerged—sparking a new book and a joint historical journey.

Their work also examines how public identity was constructed in nineteenth-century America, particularly through newspapers, political culture, and emerging systems of mass media. Rather than treating historical figures as fixed personalities, their research traces how reputation and representation shaped how individuals connected to power were seen and remembered.

Together, the Leahys explore the people and myths that shaped early America, blending rigorous research with storytelling that brings the past vividly to life.

History in Two Voices is the home of historians Christopher and Sharon Leahy, where they share original research on First Ladies, presidents, nineteenth-century America, and the remarkable people who shaped the American experience. The site also follows the research and publication of Presidentess: The Life of First Lady Julia Gardiner Tyler.

Their research has been published in the Journal of First Ladies Studies and other scholarly venues.