DEATHS : Columnist Joseph Alsop Dies at 78

Political columnist Joseph Alsop died today at his home here. He was 78.

Alsop had been in declining health for several months, said Patricia Alsop, wife of his brother, Stewart, who died in 1974. Joseph Alsop’s death was attributed to lung cancer, anemia and emphysema.

The Alsop brothers, who began as New Deal liberals but became more conservative in later years, wrote political columns syndicated by the now-defunct New York Herald Tribune.

Alsop wrote a column for the Herald Tribune with his brother from 1946 to 1958, at which time his brother joined the Saturday Evening Post. Joseph Alsop continued the column alone, first for The Washington Post and later for the Los Angeles Times Syndicate. He also contributed articles for magazines, including The New Yorker.