'Jack' Kole; Washington Bureau Chief for Milwaukee Journal

John William "Jack" Kole, 73, Washington bureau chief for the Milwaukee Journal from 1970 to 1989, died Sept. 15 at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington County after an apparent heart attack.

Mr. Kole was a Milwaukee-based political reporter before arriving in Washington in 1964 as a correspondent in the Journal's Washington bureau.

He occasionally traveled abroad for his work but mostly covered the Wisconsin congregational delegation that included Sens. William Proxmire (D), Robert W. Kasten Jr. (R) and Gaylord Nelson (D), as well as Reps. Henry S. Reuss (D) and Melvin Laird (R), who later became secretary of defense during the Nixon administration.

After stepping down as bureau chief, Mr. Kole became press secretary for Rep. David R. Obey (D-Wis.) and also did press work for the House Appropriations Committee until retiring in 1997.

Mr. Kole, an Arlington resident, was a native of Zealand, Mich., and a 1955 graduate of Michigan State University. He received a master's degree in journalism from Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., the following year.

He joined the Journal after journalism school, starting as an obituary reporter before advancing to other beats.

He was city hall reporter from 1959 to 1962, after which he won a Nieman Fellowship at Harvard University.

He was president of the Gridiron Club for D.C.-based journalists in its 100th-anniversary year, 1985. The club's annual dinner is a major social event in Washington, and Mr. Kole hosted President Ronald Reagan and his wife, Nancy, at the centennial dinner.

Survivors include his wife of 51 years, Betty Zuege Kole of Arlington; five children, Jim Kole of Chicago, Linda Kole of Arlington, Leslie Kole of North Potomac, Sara Kole of Sunnyvale, Calif., and Susan Kole of Olney; a sister; and 14 grandchildren.

-- Adam Bernstein