Washington Post editorial page editor dead at 66

Fred Hiatt, editorial page editor of the Washington Post, passed away at a hospital in New York City on Dec. 6 at the age of 66. He had suffered a sudden cardiac arrest on Nov. 24 while visiting his daughter in Brooklyn, and did not regain consciousness.

Since 2000, when he was appointed head of the page, Hiatt wrote or edited nearly all of the paper's unsigned editorials. He also wrote a column and was a three-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in editorial writing.

"A 40-year veteran of The Post, he built friendships throughout the company and made immense contributions as a writer, an editor, and a mentor to so many across the organization," said Washington post publisher and CEO Frederick Ryan. "His legacy also spans the globe: Few journalists have rivaled his idealism and complete dedication to the causes of democracy and human rights worldwide."

Of the page that he spent two decades overseeing, Hiatt said, "We want to be a page that everyone in the Washington area turns to in the morning and feels they can find some conversation going on that speaks to them."