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James John Klobuchar ( ; 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.
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. He was the father of Minnesota U.S. Senator and former Hennepin County attorney Amy Klobuchar.
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. He was the first to report on John F. Kennedy's defeat of Richard Nixon in 1960. He became a columnist for the Minneapolis Star starting in 1965 where he covered sports and politics. In 1984 the National Society of Newspaper Columnists honored him as an outstanding columnist. He retired in 1996.
Klobuchar continued writing after his official retirement, including frequent columns for The Christian Science Monitor, which recommended him for a Pulitzer Prize in 2003.
During much of his life Klobuchar was an avid cyclist and led the "Jaunt With Jim" group bicycle ride for 39 years.
Personal life
Klobuchar married Rose Heuberger August 7, 1954 and had two children, one of who is Amy Klobuchar. The couple divorced in 1976. He struggled with alcoholism, which he wrote a book about— Pursued by Grace. His daughter Amy is a United States Senator and was a Presidential candidate in 2020.
Health and death
Towards the end of Klobuchar's life, he had Alzheimer's disease. He died at a care facility in Burnsville, Minnesota on May 12, 2021, at age 93. Amy Klobuchar announced the death, saying about her father, "He loved journalism. He loved sports and adventure. And we loved him." Minnesota Governor Tim Walz also paid tribute, stating "Our press community lost a giant in Jim Klobuchar's passing." Plans were also made to bury him in the Fort Snelling National Cemetery.
Selected books
External links
Categories: 1928 Births, 2021 Deaths, 20th-century American Journalists, 20th-century American Male Writers, 20th-century American Writers, 21st-century American Non-fiction Writers, American Male Journalists, American People Of Slovenian Descent, Amy Klobuchar, Deaths From Alzheimer's Disease In Minnesota, Journalists From Minnesota, Military Personnel From Minnesota, People From Ely, Minnesota, Associated Press Reporters, Star Tribune People, The Christian Science Monitor People, United States Army Non-commissioned Officers, University Of Minnesota Alumni, 21st-century American Male Writers, Sportswriters From Minnesota, Burials At Fort Snelling National Cemetery
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