Mark Esper Biography
Mark Esper is a former US Army officer and defense contractor lobbyist who served as the 27th Secretary of Defense of the United States. Prior to becoming the United States Secretary of Defense, he served as the 23rd United States Secretary of the Army from 2017 to 2019.
How old is Mark Esper?- Age
Mark was born Mark Thomas Esper on April 26, 1964, in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, United States. He is 58 years old as of April 2022.
Mark Esper Education
Esper attended Laurel Highlands High School and graduated in 1982. He then went on to the United States Military Academy, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in engineering in 1986. He also holds a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and a doctorate in public policy from George Washington University.
Mark Esper Height
Esper stands at a height of 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 m).
Mark Esper Religion
Mark was raised in a Christian family. His father was a member of the Maronite Church.
Mark Esper Family
Esper, the son of Pauline “Polly” Reagan and Thomas Joseph Esper, was born and raised in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. His father belonged to the Maronite Church. His grandfather was a Lebanese immigrant, and his uncle was war journalist George Esper.
Who is Mark Esper Wife? -Wife- Married
Mark Lacy is happily married to Leah Lacy. The two married legally in 1989. The couple has three children: two sons, Luke and John, and one daughter, Kate.
Mark Esper Secretary Of Defense – Career
Esper was an infantry officer with the 101st Airborne Division during the Gulf War, serving with the “Screaming Eagles.” His battalion was part of the famous “left hook” that led to the Iraqi Army’s defeat. Later in his career, he led an airborne rifle company in Europe and worked as an Army fellow at the Pentagon. Esper spent more than ten years on active duty before transitioning to the Army National Guard and, later, the Army Reserve, where he rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel. Esper was awarded the Defense Department Medal for Distinguished Public Service. His military decorations and awards include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Kuwait Liberation Medal, and Combat Infantryman Badge. Mark was appointed on June June 2018 as a Secretary of defense after acting Secretary Patrick Shanahan withdrew his nomination. After four days Trump nominated Esper to work as Secretary of Defense in a permanent capacity.
From 1996 to 1998, Esper was the chief of staff at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. Esper worked as a senior professional staffer for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee from 1998 to 2002. He also worked as a senior policy advisor and legislative director for the United States Senator Chuck Hagel. From 2001 to 2002, he was the policy director for the House Armed Services Committee. Esper worked as the deputy assistant secretary of defense for negotiations policy in George W. Bush’s administration from 2002 to 2004, where he was in charge of a wide range of nonproliferation, arms control, and international security issues. From 2004 to 2006, he served as the United States Senate’s director of national security affairs under Majority Leader Bill Frist.
In 2006 and 2007, Esper served as executive vice president of the Aerospace Industries Association. Esper worked as the national policy director for U.S. Senator Fred Thompson’s 2008 presidential campaign from September 2007 to February 2008. Esper was executive vice president of the Global Intellectual Property Center and vice president for Europe and Eurasia at the US Chamber of Commerce from 2008 to 2010. In July 2010, he was hired as Raytheon’s vice president of government relations. The Hill named Esper a top corporate lobbyist in 2015 and 2016. Esper’s departure from Raytheon included a deferred compensation package based in part on Raytheon’s stock price after 2022.
Mark Esper Net Worth
Mark has an estimated net worth of $2.3 million.