Martin Tolchin

Tolchin died from cancer at his home in Alexandria, Virginia, on February 17, 2022, at the age of 93. At the time of his death, he was in a relationship with Barbara Rosenfeld.

In 1994, Tolchin founded The Hill alongside businessman and Democratic political insider Jerry Finkelstein, where he served as publisher and editor-in-chief until his retirement in 2004. The Hill positioned itself as a rival to the established Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call, with Tolchin promising to be "wittier and more audacious." The Hill styled itself as an "equal opportunity basher", willing to target both Democrats and Republicans with its coverage. The launch of The Hill coincided with the Republican Revolution that brought Newt Gingrich to power as Speaker of the US House of Representatives, and in 1997 broke the story of a failed leadership bid against him. Finkelstein's son Jimmy, who inherited ownership of The Hill, said Tolchin "knew Washington from top to bottom." Tolchin helped launch Politico in 2007 and was a member of its founding editorial team.

Tolchin wrote several books, frequently co-authoring them with his wife Susan. These include his 1972 book To The Victor: Political Patronage from the Clubhouse to the White House which would be cited in multiple U.S. Supreme Court decisions including Elrod v. Burns and Branti v. Finkel.

Tolchin married journalist Susan Goldsmith, a political scientist, in 1965, and they remained married until her death in 2016. They had two children, Charles (d. 2003) and Karen.

Martin Tolchin (September 20, 1928 – February 17, 2022) was an American journalist and author. He was a longtime political correspondent for The New York Times, and later co-founded The Hill and Politico.