Jonathan Wolman, editor and publisher of The Detroit News and a Madison native, died Monday, April 15, of complications from pancreatic cancer. He was 68.

Wolman was born Aug. 1, 1950, in Madison to Anne and J. Martin Wolman. His father, nicknamed “Murph,” spent his entire career at the Wisconsin State Journal, working his way up to publisher before retiring in 1985 at age 65. Murph is a member of the Wisconsin Newspaper Hall of Fame, and was inducted into the WNA Memorial Pylon in 2010.

In 1972, Jonathan Wolman graduated from UW-Madison with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy. He started his career in January 1973 as a newsperson for The Associated Press in Madison. He went on to spend 30 years at the AP, serving as executive editor in New York, Washington bureau chief and senior vice president of AP.

Wolman’s next stop was the Denver Post in 2004, where he served as editorial page editor for three years. In spring 2007, he was named editor and publisher of The Detroit News, where he would spend the final 12 years of his career.

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