kohlmeier served in the merchant marine during world war ii and in the army during the korean war, from 1950 to 1952. he worked as a staff writer in the st. louis and chicago bureaus of the "wall street journal" from 1952 to 1957. after a stint at the "st. louis globe-democrat" between 1958–59, he returned in 1960 to the "wall street journal" as a staff writer in the newspaper's washington, d.c., bureau. he covered the supreme court, the department of justice, and various executive branch departments and regulatory agencies.