Martin Tolchin (September 20, 1928 – February 17, 2022) was an American journalist and author. He was a longtime political correspondent for The New York Times, and later co-founded The Hill and Politico.[1]
Early life and education
Tolchin was born in
Brooklyn. He attended the
University of Utah and
New York Law School, and was in the U.S. Army during the
Korean War.[2] He stated in his memoir that he was prevented from practising law whilst in the army because he refused to reveal the identities of classmates who, like him, studied
Marxism while at high school.[3] His political activities, though they had taken place before he joined the Army, meant he was given a
general discharge instead of an
honorable one.[3] This setback ended his hopes of a legal career.[3]
Career
After taking a job hunting course at the
Veterans Administration and writing over 100 letters to prospective employers, Tolchin was hired by The New York Times as a
copy boy.[3] From there he progressed to writing features for the
women's page, and then the metropolitan desk. He had a reputation for following New York mayor
John Lindsay more closely than any other reporting from the paper, and broke stories on the city's troubled hospital system.[3] Tolchin worked at the Times for 40 years,[4] a stint split between New York (where he was City Hall bureau chief[5] and a political and
investigative reporter) and Washington (where he was a Congressional correspondent).[6][7] At Washington, Tolchin reported on the
Iran–Contra affair,[8][9]the Anita Hill hearings[10] and Washington's response to the New York City financial crisis.[11]
In 1994, Tolchin founded The Hill alongside businessman and Democratic political insider
Jerry Finkelstein, where he served as publisher and editor-in-chief until his retirement in 2004.[12][13]The Hill positioned itself as a rival to the established
Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call, with Tolchin's promise of it being "wittier and more audacious."[3]The Hill styled itself as an "equal opportunity basher", willing to target both Democrats and Republicans with its coverage.[3] The launch of The Hill coincided with the
Republican Revolution that brought
Newt Gingrich to power as
Speaker of the US House of Representatives, and in 1997 broke the story of a failed leadership bid against him.[3] Finkelstein's son Jimmy, who inherited ownership of The Hill, said Tolchin "knew Washington from top to bottom."[3] Tolchin helped launch Politico in 2007 and was a member of its founding editorial team.[2]
Tolchin wrote several books, frequently co-authoring them with his wife Susan. These include his 1972 book To The Victor: Political Patronage from the Clubhouse to the White House which would be cited in multiple
U.S. Supreme Court decisions[14] including Elrod v. Burns and Branti v. Finkel.[15]
Personal life
Tolchin married journalist
Susan Goldsmith, a political scientist, in 1965, and they remained married until her death in 2016.[2][16] They had two children, Charles (d. 2003) and Karen.[17]
Tolchin died from cancer at his home in
Alexandria, Virginia, on February 17, 2022, at the age of 93.[2] At the time of his death, he was in a relationship with Barbara Rosenfeld.[2]
Awards
Everett M. Dirksen Prize for Distinguished Reporting of Congress[18]
Bibliography
Martin Tolchin; Susan J. Tolchin (1971) To The Victor: Political Patronage from the Clubhouse to the White House[19]
Martin Tolchin; Susan J. Tolchin (1976). Clout: Womanpower and Politics[20]
Martin Tolchin; Susan J. Tolchin (2007) A World Ignited: How Apostles of Ethnic, Religious and Racial Hatred Torch the Globe[21]
Martin Tolchin; Susan J. Tolchin (2009) Glass Houses: Congressional Ethics And The Politics Of Venom[22]
Martin Tolchin; Susan J. Tolchin (2015) Pinstripe Patronage[23][24]
Martin Tolchin (autobiography, 2019) Politics, Journalism, and The Way Things Were[25]