• by Ray Schultz , March 20, 2025

Jeffrey Bruce Klein, a co-founder of Mother Jones magazine, has died at age 77. 

Mother Jones was founded in 1976 by Klein, Adam Hochschild, Paul Jacobs and Richard Parker, formerly of Ramparts magazine.

Klein was literary editor of the investigative, left-leaning periodical in the early years. 

Klein left Mother Jones in 1981 to serve as editor in chief of San Francisco magazine. He returned in 1992 after founding West, a Sunday magazine that was part of The San Jose Mercury News, according to The New York Times. 

In 1992, Klein returned to Mother Jones as editor in chief and rebuilt its sagging circulation. He left in 1998, and taught journalism at Stanford University. He also worked as a producer for “PBS NewsHour” with Jim Lehrer, the Times continues. 

Originally from Pennsylvania, he permanently relocated to California.