In Memoriam: James F. Hoge, Jr.

The Council on Foreign Relations and Foreign Affairs mourn the passing of James F. Hoge Jr., a longtime CFR member and editor of Foreign Affairs from 1992 to 2010. The second-longest serving editor in the magazine’s century-long history, Hoge spearheaded a vigorous period of growth and fostered an editorial vision that made the magazine widely accessible while maintaining its preeminence within American and international foreign policy communities.

During Hoge’s term as editor and Peter G. Peterson chair, Foreign Affairs expanded from four to six issues a year, doubled its circulation, added several foreign editions, introduced a state-of-the-art website, and was ranked the most influential media source for U.S. opinion leaders. Among the more than one thousand articles published under Hoge’s editorship were such landmark essays as Samuel Huntington’s “Clash of Civilizations?,” Paul Krugman’s “Competitiveness: A Dangerous Obsession,” and the “The Tiananmen Papers.”

Before leading Foreign Affairs, Hoge enjoyed an exceptional career in journalism as a Washington correspondent and a venerated editor and publisher of the Chicago Sun-Times and the New York Daily News, which between them won seven Pulitzer Prizes under his leadership. Hoge mentored countless young journalists, reporters, and editors, instilling new generations with the passion for journalistic integrity that was a trademark of his distinguished career.

Throughout his illustrious career he served as chairman of the International Center for Journalists and Human Rights Watch, senior advisor at Teneo, and as a member of the advisory board of the NYU Center for Global Affairs and of Brown University’s Watson Institute. He was also a fellow at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and the Freedom Forum Media Center at Columbia University.

A Council member for forty-eight years, Hoge participated in countless CFR meetings, roundtables, and study groups. His compassion, integrity, and collegiality endeared him to all who had the privilege to know him. He will be greatly missed by his many friends and colleagues at the Council.