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A New York Times political journalist has died at age 44 “after a long and courageous battle with depression,” his family said.
Blake Hounshell, who was senior editor at Foreign Policy and Politico magazine before moving to The Times in 2021, died in Washington on Tuesday, leaving behind his wife, Sandy, and two children.
A police officer has said his death will be investigated as a suicide.
After joining The Times, he “quickly distinguished himself as our leading political newsletter writer and a gifted observer of our country’s political scene,” Joseph Kahn, its executive editor, said in a memo to staff.
“We have lost a valued colleague and this is a heartbreaking loss for our team,” it said.
New York Times journalist Blake Hounshell has died at age 44 “after a long and courageous battle with depression,” his family said.
Hounshell was hired by The Times in 2021 and oversaw its ‘On Politics’ newsletter
He was born in California in 1978 but grew up in Delaware and Pittsburgh and graduated from Yale in 2002.
His start in journalism came after spending time in Cairo, where he studied Arabic, and was a finalist for the Livingston Awards for Young Journalists for his reporting on the Arab Spring.
Between 2009 and 2013 he was managing editor of Foreign Policy, overseeing its adaptation to the Internet age.
Hounshell then worked for eight years in various high-level positions and as editor-in-chief of his magazine, which he started.
He was hired at The Times to start a newsletter, an increasingly popular outlet with which he had gained experience at both Foreign Policy and Politico.
‘The Times is making significant investments in newsletter talent,’ wrote The Times when it announced it would hire him.
He added: “Now, with a fire hose of political news for our readers to make sense of each day, we turn to an expert in both newsletters and political coverage, Blake Hounshell.”
In his latest On Politics newsletter, published Monday, Hounshell discussed the death penalty in California and the political pressure the issue was putting on its governor Gavin Newsom. On Friday he wrote about how the Republican Party is struggling to appeal to younger voters.
Between 2009 and 2013 he was editor-in-chief of Foreign Policy, overseeing its adaptation to the internet age.
“It is with a heavy heart that we have to inform you that Blake died suddenly this morning after a long and courageous battle with depression. His wife, Sandy, and his two children are in our thoughts and prayers, asking for respect and privacy at this time,” his family shared in a statement.
His death triggered a wave of shock and sadness among fellow journalists, as well as politicians.
‘The writing of @politico is distraught. Blake Hounshell had a stunning mind, full of original ideas on a wide range of topics,” John Harris, Politico’s founding editor, wrote on Twitter.
“He was a deeply idealistic and curious man with an exhilarating ability to perceive patterns and contradictions in the news.”
Hounshell (center) speaks onstage during the Concordia Annual Summit in September 2021
Newly elected Pennsylvania Democratic Senator John Fetterman recalled an interview with Hounshell after suffering a stroke in May.
“Blake Hounshell was another stroke survivor and one of the first interviews I did as I returned to the campaign trail and struggled to find my words,” Fetterman tweeted Tuesday.
Scott Jennings, a conservative commentator and political analyst, said he had just spoken with Hounshell last week about a story about the Kentucky gubernatorial race.
“I always considered him a good reporter and a good guy,” he wrote. “A reminder that you never know what people are dealing with deep down.”
Times congressional correspondent Annie Karni tweeted that she wished Hounshell “could see all these tweets from his colleagues who feel indebted to him for being where they are.”