John A. Hamilton, host and creator of the public television series “Watch on Washington,” died June 7 at a hospital in Fairfax, Virginia. He was 84. The cause was complications of Parkinson’s disease.

In the early years of his career, he worked at The Richmond (Va.) News Leader and The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk. He was an associate editor at the Detroit Free Press when the paper won a Pulitzer Prize for its coverage of the 1967 Detroit riots. He was a member of The New York Times editorial board from 1967 to 1973.

In 1973, he left the Times to become editor and host of “The 51st State,” a program about New York issues.
Years later he started his own production company and launched “Watch on Washington,” which aired on PBS stations nationally from 1980 to 2002.

He is survived by a son and a daughter.