Edward M. “Mac” Coffman was born in Hopkinsville, Kentucky on 27 January 1929. After receiving his bachelor's degree in history from the University of Kentucky in 1951, he served in the Army for two years during the Korean War. Upon returning from service, he quickly earned a master's degree (1955) and doctorate (1959) in history from the University of Kentucky. After holding positions at Memphis State University and the George C. Marshall Research Foundation, Coffman joined the faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1961. He remained there for thirty-one years and became a nationally renowned expert on American military history. His publications include The Hilt of the Sword: The Career of Peyton C. Marsh; The War to End All Wars: The American Military Experience in World War I; and The Old Army: A Portrait of the American Army in Peacetime, 1784-1898. In 1978 the Department of the Army awarded Coffman the Decoration for Distinguished Civilian Service medal for his scholarly contributions to the field of Army history. He has also been active in the Society for Military History, serving as its president from 1983 to 1985 and winning its Samuel Eliot Morison Prize in 1990, and also the National Historic Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC). Immensely popular with his students and largely responsible for the growth and reputation of its military history program, the University of Wisconsin granted emeritus status to Coffman upon his retirement in 1992.
