George J. Cotliar, Managing Editor Of The Los Angeles Times For 19 Years, Dies At 94

George J. Cotliar, who served arsenic managing editor of nan L.A. Times for 19 years during a 40-year profession astatine nan paper, has died.

Cotlier’s daughter, Sharon Cotliar-Zweifach, confirmed that Cotliar died successful his slumber early Monday astatine his location successful Newport Beach. He was 94.

“Our dad’s first emotion was journalism, and arsenic overmuch arsenic he was an incredible, dedicated father, we very overmuch knew we were increasing up pinch a newspaper man,” Zweifach told The Times connected Wednesday. “He group nan barroom precocious successful position of honesty, integrity and treating group pinch respect. We understood that’s really he operated — successful his activity and pinch his colleagues and pinch us.”

George Cotliar was calved Jan. 16, 1932, successful nan Bronx to Russian immigrants. When he was 5, his family moved to Los Angeles and settled into what he liked to joke was nan “slums of Beverly Hills.” He attended Beverly Hills High School, Los Angeles City College and, ultimately, Cal State Los Angeles, wherever he earned a grade successful journalism.

After moving astatine an assortment of section papers astir Los Angeles, Cotliar caught upwind that The Times had an opening. He took a $13-a-week salary trim to get his ft successful nan doorway and 1 measurement person to nan extremity he’d group for himself while moving a newspaper way astatine 11 years old: to tally nan Los Angeles Times.

He was hired arsenic a newsman for nan Westside conception and promoted a twelvemonth later to editor of The Times’ suburban section; aft different year, he took connected a transcript editor domiciled earlier becoming a transcript chief, past became editor of typical sections astatine nan paper. He worked assignments successful nan Metro and National departments, spent 2 years arsenic managing editor of The Times’ Orange County edition, and aft 21 years of becoming good acquainted pinch myriad roles astatine nan paper, he nabbed nan title he’d been moving toward since people schoolhouse — managing editor.

Under his watch, nan paper’s sum won 10 Pulitzer Prizes and galore different accolades.

“He was a terrific head devoted to nan readers of nan paper, specifically successful really nan insubstantial presented nan news connected Page 1,” erstwhile Times National Editor Roger Smith said connected Tuesday. “He was ever striving for nan champion stories and nan champion equilibrium imaginable each day, and erstwhile I opportunity each day, I mean each day. He was an L.A. person. He knew nan metropolis and he knew nan county.”

As notorious arsenic Cotliar was for his meticulous calls connected predetermination night, his awesome memory, devotion to publicity and emotion for assemblage hoops and nan Los Angeles Times, he was besides known astir nan newsroom for his occasional near-slapstick temper. Whether it was calling nan politician an “a—” erstwhile he thought he’d been hung up connected aliases slamming nan return cardinal of his typewriter truthful difficult that it flew off, location was ne'er a dull infinitesimal pinch Cotliar astatine nan helm.

L.A. Times Managing Editor George Cotliar, right, greets King Hussein of Jordan astatine a reception astatine nan newspaper’s downtown Los Angeles building successful nan 1980s. Robert W. Gibson, editor of The Times’ Foreign section, is seen successful nan background.

(Los Angeles Times)

Cotliar was joined to Pearl Ruth Gottlieb connected Aug. 24, 1958. She died successful December of 2011.

He is survived by his son, David Cotliar, and his spouse, Kenneth Wang, and his daughter, Sharon Cotliar-Zweifach, and her spouse, Dr. Eric Zweifach, and 2 grandchildren, Abigail Zweifach-Coles, and Joshua Zweifach.