Attorney Andy Leonard, a representative for Hartmann’s family, says Hartmann was killed when a wheel came off of a semi and struck his car on I-64 just west of 270. The truck driver is reportedly cooperating with the investigation.
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Hartmann was known as a staunch liberal on Donnybrook, the Nine PBS show he helped to co-found in 1987, but he started his career in public life by writing speeches for U.S. Senator Kit Bond, a Republican. He started the Riverfront Times not long after, at age 24. Originally a community newspaper for people who worked downtown, the RFT found a new voice after Hartmann connected with people who’d started alt-weeklies in other cities as anti-establishment alternatives to mainstream media. As a columnist, Hartmann was unrelenting in his criticism of regional boosters who wanted to spend tax money on projects he considered dubious.
After Hartmann sold the publication to Phoenix-based New Times in 1998 for a reported $15 million, he resurrected St. Louis Magazine, where he served as publisher (and columnist) before selling it in 2019. In addition to his weekly appearances on Donnybrook, he spent four years hosting a radio show on KTRS and writing a column for the RFT and then Substack before retiring from journalism to run for Congress in 2024. He felt bullish on his chances to take down longtime incumbent U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner (R-Ballwin), even when political observers wrote off his chances, telling SLM, “This is in many ways a perfect storm.” After he lost, he started a new career serving as a fundraising consultant for nonprofit organizations.
Hartmann is survived by his widow, Kerri, and his children, Benjamin and Brielle, who are both college students.
Leonard said the family hopes to have a funeral scheduled some time in the next week.
In a statement, SLM owner Matt Coen said, “Ray’s impact as an entrepreneur, as the founder of the Riverfront Times, as a defender of the First Amendment, and as someone deeply invested in the best parts of politics and civic engagement was an inspiration. He believed deeply in the role local journalism could play in making a city better, and he brought both conviction and energy to that work.”
