Current:Home > MarketsJoseph Lelyveld, former executive editor of The New York Times, dies at 86 -VisionFunds
Joseph Lelyveld, former executive editor of The New York Times, dies at 86
View
Date:2025-04-16 22:19:56
NEW YORK (AP) — Joseph Lelyveld, a career journalist who rose from copy boy to foreign correspondent to executive editor at The New York Times and won a Pulitzer Prize for a nonfiction book, died Friday. He was 86.
Lelyveld passed away at his Manhattan home due to complications from Parkinson’s disease, Janny Scott, his longtime partner and a former Times reporter, told the newspaper.
“Cerebral and introspective, Mr. Lelyveld was for nearly four decades one of the most respected journalists in America, a globe-trotting adventurer who reported from Washington, Congo, India, Hong Kong, Johannesburg and London, winning acclaim for his prolific and perceptive articles,” the Times reported in a story about his death.
Lelyveld was hired by the Times as a copy boy in 1962 and went on to hold a number of reporting posts. He was executive editor from 1994 to 2001, retiring a week before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
During his tenure in that post, “The Times climbed to record levels of revenue and profits, expanded its national and international readerships, introduced color photographs to the front page, created new sections, and ushered in the digital age with a Times website and round-the-clock news operations,” the paper said.
Lelyveld oversaw the paper as it covered major stories from the Oklahoma City bombing and the O.J. Simpson trial to the Catholic Church’s sex abuse scandals and the 2000 presidential election won by George W. Bush.
The Times won several Pulitzers under his watch, and he himself won a Pulitzer in 1996 for his nonfiction book “Move Your Shadow: South Africa, Black and White.”
Lelyveld retired in 2001 but returned two years later to serve briefly as interim executive editor after the resignations of Executive Editor Howell Raines and Managing Editor Gerald Boyd in the wake of the Jayson Blair plagiarism scandal.
Current and former staffers took to social media to praise Lelyveld on Friday.
“He gently guided my Times career and ensured that I had the best care when I was quite ill. I am forever indebted to this great journalist and even better man. Deep respect,” senior writer Dan Barry posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Lelyveld was born in Cincinnati in 1937 and lived in several places before settling with his family on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. He was the oldest of three sons of Arthur Lelyveld, a rabbi and civil rights activist, and Toby Lelyveld, a former actress and Shakespeare scholar, the Times reported.
He graduated from the Bronx High School of Science and Harvard, where he earned a bachelor’s in English literature and history and a master’s in American history, according to the Times. He would later earn a master’s in journalism from Columbia.
In his 2005 memoir, “Omaha Blues: A Memory Loop,” Lelyveld said he had a knack for remembering names and other information.
“It came in handy telling the stories of others, which is what I eventually did for a living,” he wrote. “I could recall obscure facts, make intuitive connections, ask the right questions.”
Lelyveld is survived by Scott, two daughters from his marriage to Carolyn Fox, who died in 2004, and a granddaughter.
veryGood! (36)
Related
- Behind on your annual reading goal? Books under 200 pages to read before 2024 ends
- We can't get excited about 'Kraven the Hunter.' Don't blame superhero fatigue.
- California judges say they’re underpaid, and their new lawsuit could cost taxpayers millions
- East Coast storm makes a mess at ski resorts as strong winds cause power outages
- 'Most Whopper
- Oregon lawmakers to hold special session on emergency wildfire funding
- Woody Allen and Soon
- Worst. Tariffs. Ever. (update)
- The Super Bowl could end in a 'three
- Oregon lawmakers to hold special session on emergency wildfire funding
Ranking
- DeepSeek: Did a little known Chinese startup cause a 'Sputnik moment' for AI?
- Worst. Tariffs. Ever. (update)
- This house from 'Home Alone' is for sale. No, not that one.
- Taylor Swift makes history as most decorated artist at Billboard Music Awards
- See you latte: Starbucks plans to cut 30% of its menu
- Mystery drones are swarming New Jersey skies, but can you shoot them down?
- Drew Barrymore Addresses Criticism Over Her Touchiness With Talk Show Guests
- Wisconsin kayaker who faked his death and fled to Eastern Europe is in custody, online records show
Recommendation
Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
The Voice Season 26 Crowns a New Winner
Netizens raise privacy concerns over Acra's Bizfile search function revealing citizens' IC numbers
Secretly recorded videos are backbone of corruption trial for longest
Tom Holland's New Venture Revealed
She grew up in an Arizona church community. Now, she claims it was actually a religious cult.
What Americans think about Hegseth, Gabbard and key Trump Cabinet picks AP
California judges say they’re underpaid, and their new lawsuit could cost taxpayers millions