Heavyweight journalist David Broder, who died Wednesday, built a rock-solid reputation for even-handedness during his long career as a columnist.

The death of David Broder, the veteran reporter and columnist for The Washington Post, at age 81 from complications caused by diabetes is noteworthy, and not just because he earned the title as "dean of the Washington press corps" decades ago.

Broder was a product of Illinois, born in Chicago Heights and educated at the University of Chicago. A lifelong Chicago Cubs fan, Broder got an early start in his journalism career working for The Bloomington Pantagraph before moving to Washington, D.C., to work first for The New York Times and then for decades at The Washington Post.

For many years, Broder was a twice-a-week columnist on The News-Gazette's editorial page. With just a couple of exceptions, he stopped writing his columns last year when illness forced him to the sidelines. Although that was his principle identity, Broder was known for more than his newspaper work. He wrote books and often appeared on network news shows as a questioner or an analyst. Soft-spoken, calm and precise in his questions and commentary, he was somewhat professorial in his approach but very much down to earth.

Broder considered himself more a reporter than analyst, and reporting, rather than ideology, informed his column writing.

Through all of that, he not only built a rock-solid reputation but a strong following among readers interested in his perspective on politics in Washington, D.C., and across the country.