William Hilliard, former Oregonian editor, dies at 89
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William A. Hilliard, who became the first black reporter at The Oregonian newspaper and later its editor in a pioneering 42-year career, has died at age 89.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports (https://goo.gl/96WEYx ) that Hilliard, who died Monday, was the first black city editor of a major newspaper and later the first black editor of one, and his promotions invariably garnered national attention.
He was once denied a paper-route at The Oregonian because managers said whites did not want blacks delivering their paper. But after serving in the Navy and graduating from college, he was hired as a copy boy at age 25. Through talent and hard work he made his way up from there, becoming executive editor in 1982.
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In 1993 he served as president of the American Society of Newspaper Editors, the first African American to hold the post. He retired in 1994.
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Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com