Dan Moskowitz, longtime McGraw-Hill legal correspondent, dies at 90

Warm. Gregarious. Principled. Curious. Intellectual. Reassuring. Admirable. Entertaining. Lively. Loving. One-of-a-kind. 

These are the words friends and family used to describe Daniel Bennet Moskowitz, an exceptional legal correspondent, after he passed away on Oct. 29. 

Dan joined the National Press Club in 1965 and was recognized as a Platinum Owl in September.

He spent much of his career working on the fourth floor of the National Press Building for the McGraw-Hill World News bureau, which provided content to McGraw-Hill publications, including Business Week magazine.

He also worked in bureaus in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Denver and Toronto before moving to the D.C. bureau.

“Dan Moskowitz was one of the most colorful colleagues I ever had. A presence when he strolled into the newsroom, when he discussed his latest interview very loudly, when he talked about musicals or theater or books, when he mentored the young people in the office, he was inescapable,” recalled Maria Recio, Washington correspondent for the Austin American-Statesman.

After retiring from McGraw-Hill, Dan spent more than 30 years as a freelance journalist specializing in issues of law and health, most recently penning a column on intriguing court cases of the past for American History magazine.

From 1979-1992, Dan wrote the “Business Law” column for The Washington Post.

He was a recipient of the American Bar Association's Silver Gavel Award, the ABA's highest honor for journalism and other media that foster public understanding of the law and the legal system. 

Later in life, Dan shared his lifelong love of musical theater and popular song as an instructor for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at American University, where his courses often had long waiting lists.

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, on Feb. 13, 1935, and raised in Springfield, Illinois, Dan earned a B.S. in Economics with a major in Journalism from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School.

Dan and his wife Else moved to Washington in 1965, and a few years later built a home in Palisades. Dan was a founder of the Friends of the Palisades Library, a member and president of the Palisades Citizens Association, and a member and Chairman of the Palisades Neighborhood Planning Committee.

He is survived by Else, his daughters Luise Moskowitz and Marina Moskowitz and his grandchildren David Lawrence and Triona Lawrence.

A memorial service will be held at Temple Micah, 2829 Wisconsin Avenue NW, on Sunday, Nov. 23, at 1:30 p.m. 

In accordance with Dan’s wishes, in lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in his name to the Journalism Institute at the National Press Club or the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at American University.