Former Oregonian editor Hilliard dies

William A. Hilliard — a former editor of The Oregonian and a national pioneer who paved the way for a generation of minorities who wanted to become journalists — has died. He was 89.

Hilliard, who once was denied a paper route at The Oregonian because managers said whites did not want blacks delivering their paper, retired in 1994 after a 42-year career. In 1993 he had served as president of the American Society of Newspaper Editors, the first African-American to hold the post.

In 1998 Hilliard was voted into the Oregon Newspaper Hall of Fame, which recognizes journalists who have made outstanding contributions to Oregon journalism.

“It was a great career,” he said in a 2010 interview. “Every day was exciting. It was a heck of a job.”

Hilliard prided himself on his talent, hard work and perseverance, traits that he believed allowed him to make his way from a newsroom clerk to a position where he ran the entire news and editorial departments.

And yet it was the case during his long career, Hilliard’s race — not any one overriding journalistic strength or accomplishment — defined the man, his legacy and journey.

He was The Oregonian’s first black reporter. When promoted through the paper’s ranks, he received national attention because he was always the first black to hold a particular job. He was the first black to be city editor of a major, mainstream newspaper and later the first black to be editor of such a paper.