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Jim Klobuchar
American journalist and author (1928–2021) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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James John Klobuchar (/ˈkloʊbəʃɑːr/ KLOH-bə-shar;[1] April 9, 1928 – May 12, 2021) was an American journalist, author, and newspaper columnist from Minnesota. Klobuchar was regarded as a regionally well-known and admired local sports and politics reporter during his long career working for the Star Tribune in Minneapolis.[2][3]
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Klobuchar notably was the first reporter in the country to declare John F. Kennedy's victory over Richard Nixon in the 1960 United States presidential election.[2] He was the father of Minnesota U.S. Senator and former Hennepin County attorney Amy Klobuchar.
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Early life
Klobuchar was born in Ely, Minnesota, the son of Mary (Pucel) and Michael Klobuchar.[4] His grandparents were all from Slovenia.[5] He earned an Associate of Arts degree from Ely Junior College (now Minnesota North College – Vermilion) in 1948 and a Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, from the University of Minnesota in 1950.
Career
Klobuchar served in the United States Army from 1950 to 1952 and became a corporal. He worked as a wire editor for the Bismarck Tribune in North Dakota in 1950 and as a legislative reporter from 1952 to 1953.[6]
Klobuchar worked as a staff writer for the Associated Press in Minneapolis from 1953 to 1961 and with the Minneapolis Tribune from 1961 to 1965.[6] He was the first to report on John F. Kennedy's defeat of Richard Nixon in 1960.[7] He became a columnist for the Minneapolis Star starting in 1965 where he covered sports and politics.[6] In 1984 the National Society of Newspaper Columnists honored him as an outstanding columnist.[8] He retired in 1996.[9]
Klobuchar continued writing after his official retirement, including frequent columns for The Christian Science Monitor, which recommended him for a Pulitzer Prize in 2003.[8]
Klobuchar published 23 books.[8]
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Personal life
Klobuchar married Rose Heuberger August 7, 1954 and had two children, one of who is Amy. The couple divorced in 1976. He struggled with alcoholism, which he wrote a book about—Pursued by Grace.[10] His daughter Amy is a United States Senator and was a Presidential candidate in 2020.
During much of his life Klobuchar was an avid cyclist and led the "Jaunt With Jim"[11] group bicycle ride for 39 years.
Health and death
Towards the end of Klobuchar's life, he had Alzheimer's disease.[12] He died at a care facility in Burnsville, Minnesota on May 12, 2021, at age 93.[13] Amy Klobuchar announced the death, saying about her father, "He loved journalism. He loved sports and adventure. And we loved him."[14] Minnesota Governor Tim Walz also paid tribute, stating "Our press community lost a giant in Jim Klobuchar's passing."[13] Plans were also made to bury him in the Fort Snelling National Cemetery.[13][15]
Selected books
- The Zest (and Best) of Klobuchar, Mark Zelenovich, Inc., 1967.
- True Hearts and Purple Heads, Minneapolis: Ross & Haines, 1970.
- Tarkenton, New York: Harper & Row, 1976. Co-author, Fran Tarkenton.
- Will the Vikings Ever Win the Super Bowl? An Inside Look at the Minnesota Vikings of 1976, with Jeff Siemon's journal, New York: Harper & Row, 1977.
- Will America Accept Love at Halftime?, Ross & Haines, 1992
- Minstrel: My Adventure in Newspapering, Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1997.
- Pursued by Grace: A Newspaperman's Own Story of Spiritual Recovery, Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress Publishers, 1998.
- The Cross Under the Acacia Tree: The Story of David and Eunice Simonson's Epic Mission in Africa, Minneapolis: Kirk House Publishers, 1999.
- Knights and Knaves of Autumn: 40 Years of Pro Football and the Minnesota Vikings, Cambridge, Minnesota: Adventure Publications, 2000.
- Sixty Minutes with God, Kirk House, 2003. ISBN 1-886513-78-3
- Walking Briskly Toward the Sunset, Nodin Press, 2005.
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References
External links
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