John W Frece

John W. Frece spent about half of his career as a newspaper and wire service reporter and half working for the state and federal government. Knowledgeable about Maryland political history, his most recent book is a biography of former Maryland US Senator Danny Brewster entitled, "Self-Destruction: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of US Senator Daniel B. Brewster."

He previously co-authored the autobiographies of former US Senator Joseph D. Tydings and former Governor Harry R. Hughes, both of Maryland. Drawing from his experience as a gubernatorial aide, Frece also wrote an insider's view of the political machinations behind Maryland's controversial land use policy known as Smart Growth.

Frece is a former reporter and Maryland State House Bureau Chief for the Baltimore Sun (1984-1995) and United Press International (1978-1984). He also covered the Virginia General Assembly in Richmond for UPI and was an editor, reporter and photographer for the Reston Times, a weekly newspaper in Fairfax County, Virginia. He later worked on the staff of the Governor of Maryland, at a University of Maryland academic research center, and as director of the smart growth office within the US Environmental Protection Agency during the first five years of the Obama administration.

Frece is married to the children's book author, Priscilla Cummings, and they have two grown children, Will and Hannah, two grandsons, and two cats. Frece graduated from the College of William and Mary in Virginia in 1969 and was honorably discharged as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army in 1971.