Rather, Dan (1931–)

Dan Rather spent 24 years as anchor of CBS Evening News and was called “the hardest working man in broadcast journalism,” receiving nearly every major broadcast journalism award. Born in Wharton, Texas, Rather graduated in 1953 from Sam Houston State Teachers College with a journalism degree. He taught as a journalism instructor at Sam Houston the following year. Rather also studied at the University of Houston and the South Texas School of Law.

Rather began reporting for the Associated Press in 1950 and worked for several other news organizations in Texas during the 1950s, including United Press International, KSAM and KTRH radio stations, Houston Chronicle, and KTRK and KHOU television stations in Houston.

In 1962, Rather joined CBS News as the Southwest bureau chief in Dallas. The following year, he became the chief of the Southern bureau in New Orleans. While there he covered Southern racial conflicts, the civil rights movement, and the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Rather also served as chief of CBS's bureaus in London and Saigon and as the White House correspondent during the administrations of Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard Nixon.

On March 9, 1981, Rather began as the anchor and managing editor of CBS Evening News. When 48 Hours premiered on January 19, 1988, Rather anchored and premiered for that program and continued to anchor until September of 2002. He also reported for CBS Radio and 60 Minutes. During the 1988 presidential campaign, Rather was in the limelight as a result of a controversial interview he conducted with then Vice President George H. W. Bush. In the interview, billed as a campaign profile for the 1988 primary campaign in which Bush was a candidate, Rather engaged in a contentious and, many thought, unseemly confrontation with Bush during the regular CBS evening news over Bush's possible involvement in the Iran-Contra Affair.

During the presidential election of 2000, Rather stayed on the air for 16 hours. Following the events of September 11, 2001, he reported around the clock and later reported from Ground Zero in New York. Rather also reported at times from around the world, including from several war zones. He was the first anchor to report from Belgrade in Yugoslavia during the NATO bombings.

[Page 700]Rather interviewed every U.S. president since Dwight D. Eisenhower and most international leaders, including Yasir Arafat, Hosni Mubarak, and Raoul Cedras. He was the first to interview President Bill Clinton following Clinton's impeachment. In February 2003, Rather had an exclusive interview with Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, which was Saddam's first with an American journalist in 12 years. Rather had also been the first to interview Saddam after the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.

Rather has authored several books, including The American Dream, I Remember, and The Camera Never Blinks. He has also written numerous newspaper and magazine articles. He has received numerous awards, including the prestigious Peabody and several Emmy Awards. In 1994, Sam Houston State University named its journalism and communication department after Rather.

Rather left the CBS Evening News anchor desk on March 9, 2005, following the “Rathergate” controversy surrounding a 60 Minutes report Rather made the previous September that questioned President George W. Bush's National Guard service. CBS eventually fired others involved in the report. Rather continued to file reports for CBS until he left the network in 2006. He later began reporting for HDNet, a highdefinition cable television station.

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