Michael Bedout Chesson, 78, died peacefully on Dec. 14, 2025, after a short illness, surrounded by his family.
Born in 1947 to Wesley Earle and Virginia Chesson, he was raised in Richmond and Newport News, Virginia, educated at the College of William and Mary and Johns Hopkins University, and received his doctorate at Harvard University.
He is survived by his beloved wife and children: Jane Sherwin, son Mark Chesson and his fiancée Megan Barth of Houston, daughter Ginny Chesson of Somerville; and by his brother Mark Chesson and wife Dona of Newport News, and his nieces Jane and Sarah Chesson.
Author and editor of several books, he was a noted historian of the South and the Civil War, and professor of American history at the University of Massachusetts Boston for 32 years. He also served as founding professor and dean of the American College of History and Legal Studies. He was an Eagle Scout in Newport News, Virginia, a Park Service Ranger in Yorktown, Virginia, and served in the United States. Naval Reserve for 30 years.
He became a Belmont resident in 1988 and, deeply interested in town politics, served as a Town Meeting member and on the Historic District Commission and the Shade Tree Committee. He was a member of the Belmont Historical Society’s governing board. He loved Belmont’s conservation lands and could often be seen exploring Rock Meadow, the mill ponds, or Waverley Oaks Park with Molly, the family’s Airedale.
A service of Christian burial was held in Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, on Jan. 2, and a celebration of his life is planned for late spring of this year.
Memorial gifts may be directed to William & Mary Libraries’ Special Collections Research Center Fund (3705). Gifts online at giving.wm.edu/. Please make checks payable to the William & Mary Foundation; mail to William & Mary, P.O. Box 1693, Boone, Iowa 50950-0693. Kindly note on memo line: “Special Collections Research Center Fund (3705) in memory of Michael B. Chesson.”
