Newsman Albert Eisele, who helped found The Hill, dies at 85

WASHINGTON – Albert Eisele's career made him a well-known figure in Washington journalism and politics, but the Blue Earth native remained tied to Minnesota even as his stature grew in the nation's capital.

From reporting for the St. Paul Pioneer Press-Dispatch in his younger days to gaining renown at The Hill newspaper, which he helped found, Eisele is remembered for his work in journalism and public affairs and his influence on reporters he helped along the way.

"He just was a big deal in Washington, but he didn't have the ego of the typical Washingtonian," said Bob Cusack, editor in chief of The Hill. "He really was kind of a down-to-earth newsman."

Eisele died June 29 in Falls Church, Va., at the age of 85. His daughter Kitty Eisele described her father's life as "improbable and extraordinary," also saying that he "always had one foot on the prairie."

Eisele was born into a farming family with parents who wrote newspaper columns about life in rural America. He graduated from St. John's University in Collegeville and later served on the Board of Regents for a time, according to a university remembrance. He also pitched in Minor League Baseball for the Cleveland Indians organization.

By 1965, Eisele had made his way to the nation's capital. He worked as a Washington correspondent for Ridder newspapers during a critical time in the nation's history and in 1972 wrote a book called "Almost to the Presidency" about Hubert Humphrey and Eugene McCarthy, two Minnesota politicians whose ambitions for the presidency were never fulfilled. The rise of another Minnesota politician to the national stage led to Eisele working as then-Vice President Walter Mondale's press secretary.

"We had that sort of common-roots background," Mondale said in a 2005 Star Tribune story about Eisele's retirement that year. "He's from Blue Earth, Minnesota, and I'm from Elmore, Minnesota, two little towns on the Iowa border. I had seen him operate for many years as a journalist. I knew he was good and I knew reporters respected him, which is a big thing in that job."

"To Minnesota, he was part of this era of people who did good, that came from our state and went on to do big things," Klobuchar said.

After working for Mondale, Eisele pursued new ambitions. "In 1982, he helped start the nonpartisan Center for National Policy, and from 1983-89 was assistant to William C. Norris, founder and CEO of Control Data Corp.," St. John's University said in its remembrance of Eisele. "In 1989 he founded Cornerstone Associates, an international consulting firm that brought Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev to Minnesota in 1990."

But Eisele's time in journalism was far from over. In 1994 he played a key role in the start of The Hill newspaper. He served as editor for the publication that became a major player in Capitol coverage. Sheila Casey, chief operating officer of The Hill, said Eisele "was probably the most generous journalist I've met who brought along young journalists and not only helped them with stories, but also gave them stories."

Kitty Eisele noted what a prolific tenure her father had at The Hill, with work that included columns, stories, interviews and book and restaurant reviews.

"He took it seriously, and he had so much fun," she said.

Hunter Woodall • 612-673-4559