A lawyer, Hiller was a clerk for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart and for two years served at the Justice Department during the Reagan administration, where his colleagues included John G. Roberts Jr., the current chief justice, and former New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani.
Hiller arrived in Los Angeles with a reputation as a personable and engaging executive with a predilection for singing in public from a repertoire of show tunes -- but with unmistakable orders from Chicago to keep a grip on the bottom line.
Nevertheless, his most prominent turns in the public eye were connected with the entertainment world. Soon after becoming publisher, Hiller expressed interest in singing the national anthem at a Dodgers or Angels game. He got his wish at Dodger Stadium last month, just as rumors of new staff cuts began to swirl about The Times' newsroom.
"David's tenure here was marked by unprecedented financial challenges and economic instability," Editor Russ Stanton said in a statement. "He was extremely supportive of our efforts to restructure our newsrooms for the long term, and he provided us with the resources that led to the enormous growth in readership of latimes.com. I wish him the very best. We look forward to working with his successor to keep the Los Angeles Times an indispensable institution that produces great journalism every day."
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michael.hiltzik@latimes.com
