Watch CBS News

Journalist James McCartney Dies At 85 In Florida

HOLMES BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Longtime Washington correspondent and columnist James McCartney has died in Florida at the age of 85.

McCartney's family said in a statement that he died of cancer Friday at his home in Holmes Beach.

McCartney covered foreign affairs and defense policy in Washington, first for the Chicago Daily News from 1959 to 1965 and then for Knight Ridder Newspapers from 1968 until 1995.

He also taught courses on the media and foreign policy and politics at Georgetown University.

After he retired to Florida, McCartney wrote a monthly column for The Herald in Bradenton. The newspaper published his final column March 27.

The St. Paul, Minn., native attributed his interest in issues of war and peace to his experiences as a soldier in France and Germany during World War II.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.