Jim Klobuchar


James John Klobuchar is an American journalist, author, columnist and travel guide from Minnesota. He wrote for the Star Tribune in Minneapolis for three decades, and now writes an occasional column for The Christian Science Monitor. He is the father of U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar.

Life and career

Klobuchar was born in Ely, Minnesota, the son of Mary and Michael Klobuchar. His grandparents were all from Slovenia, the surname Klobučar means 'hatter' in Slovenian. He earned an Associate of Arts degree from Ely Junior College in 1948, a Bachelor of Arts cum laude from the University of Minnesota in 1950. He married Rose Heuberger August 7, 1954 and had two children, Amy and Beth. He served in the United States Army from 1950 to 1952. He worked as a wire editor for the Bismarck Tribune in North Dakota in 1950 as a legislative reporter from 1952 to 1953.
Worked as a staff writer for the Associated Press in Minneapolis from 1953 to 1961 and with the Minneapolis Tribune from 1961 to 1965. He became a columnist for the Minneapolis Star starting in 1965.
Klobuchar was an alcoholic who frequently missed family gatherings during his children's youth, spent much time away due to his drinking, and was repeatedly arrested for driving under the influence. Klobuchar and his wife divorced around 1975. He initiated the divorce, calling himself another "middle-aged man with wanderlust". The divorce took a serious toll on the family, eventually causing Beth to drop out of high school, leave home early, and struggle with personal issues for a while. Amy's relationship with her father did not fully recover until the 1990s, when he quit drinking. Klobuchar and his ex-wife reconciled as best friends a few years after the divorce, and he never regretted the impact the divorce had on the family.

Books