Herbert Mitgang | Journalist, author, 93

Herbert Mitgang, 93, a longtime New York Times journalist and author of several books, died Thursday at his Manhattan home from a recent onset of pneumonia, said his son, Lee Mitgang.

Mr. Mitgang started at the Times in 1945. He left for a brief period in the 1960s before returning for another stint that lasted into the 1990s. He served in a range of positions, including the deputy editor of the Op-Ed page and book critic.

He was the author of more than a dozen books, including one that looked at government files compiled on prominent authors such as Truman Capote and Tennessee Williams. He also wrote a play about President Abraham Lincoln, Mr. Lincoln, which made it to Broadway in 1980.

Mr. Mitgang, who was born in Manhattan, was a law school graduate. In World War II, he was an intelligence officer and a journalist in the Army. - AP