Celebrating the Life of SAG-AFTRA Member John R. Harter II

SAG-AFTRA mourns the loss of Washington-Mid Atlantic member and journalist John R. Harter II, who passed away from heart ailments at age 79 on Feb. 17 at his home in Washington, D.C.

Harter was an anchor for Washington ABC affiliate WJLA, where he anchored morning and evening news broadcasts, reported from Capitol Hill and conducted man-on-the-street interviews.

In 1966, Harter joined the news staff of what was then WMAL and, two years later, covered the riots that followed the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. He later made transportation issues a journalistic specialty. For three decades, he wrote, directed and appeared on camera in television videos on aspects of automobiles and driving, which he called The John Harter Road Test.

Harter was a Washington, D.C. native and graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1958 and American University in 1962.

The Washington-Mid Atlantic Local sends its condolences to the friends and family of John R. Harter II.

Photo: John R. Harter II