Mark R. R. Wilson

About the Author

Mark R. R. Wilson is a distinguished historian specializing in the economic and technological dimensions of American military history. He holds a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania and has taught at institutions including the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where he is an associate professor of history. Wilson's research explores the intricate interplay between warfare, industry, and state power, particularly during pivotal periods of U.S. development. His acclaimed book, The Business of Civil War: Military Mobilization and the State, 1861–1865 (Johns Hopkins Studies in the History of Technology), offers a groundbreaking analysis of how the Union Army's procurement practices during the Civil War transformed the federal government and laid the foundations for modern industrial policy. Through meticulous archival research, Wilson illuminates the often-overlooked role of contractors, bureaucrats, and innovators in shaping the nation's wartime economy and long-term institutional growth.