James Willse

James Willse James "Jim" Willse is an American journalist who served as editor of The New York Daily News from 1989 to 1992 and of The Star-Ledger in New Jersey from 1995 until his retirement in 2011.
Willse was born on March 17, 1944 in Teaneck, New Jersey, and raised in Babylon, N.Y. He graduated from Hamilton College and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
Willse’s first newspaper job was as a copy boy at The New York Times. He left college in 1965 to be a reporter with The Southern Courier, a weekly that covered civil rights in Alabama. After graduating from Columbia, he was a reporter and editor with The Associated Press from 1969-1977. Following a one-year fellowship at Stanford University, where he studied international economics and law,., he joined the staff of the San Francisco Examiner. He was city editor and managing editor with The San Francisco Examiner from 1977 to 1984. He joined The New York Daily News in 1985 as managing editor and was named editor in 1989.
Willse joined the Associated Press in 1969,working as a reporter and editor on the New York national desk. Following a one-year fellowship at Stanford University, he joined the San Francisco Bureau in 1975 as news editor He was working as a news editor when he was awarded the John S. Knight Journalism fellowship.
Willse left AP to join the San Francisco Examiner in 1977.
Willse joined the Daily News as Managing Editor. Willse served in the dual role of editor and publisher of the Daily News during a five-month labor strike at the Daily News, followed by the sale of the paper by Tribune Co. to British press lord Robert Maxwell. In 1991, following Maxwell’s death, he assumed the additional role of publisher. During that time, he oversaw the paper’s Chapter 11 reorganization and eventual sale in 1992 to current owner Mort Zuckerman.
Willse joined Advance Newspapers later in 1992 as director of new media, and became editor of The Star-Ledger in January 1995. In 2000, the National Press Foundation named him Editor of the Year. During his 15-year tenure, the newspaper was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize eight times, winning twice. Willse retired as editor in October 2011 and was succeeded by Kevin Whitmer.