Table of Biography
Dan Rather is a respected American journalist, commentator, and former national evening news anchor. Dan Rather is known for serving as a newscaster for twenty-four years at the desk of the television network’s nightly newscast “CBS Evening News.”
Early Life
Born as Daniel Irvin Rather Jr, better known as Dan Rather was born on the 31st of October 1931, in Wharton, Texas, the United States of America. He is currently 92 years old and has a birth sign of Scorpio. Similarly, he holds American nationality and belongs to a mixed ethnicity of English- Scottish.
Caption: Rather’s an old photo (Source: Twitter)
He was born to his parents; Daniel Irvin Rather Sr. (father) and Byrl Veda Page (mother). His father was a ditch digger and pipe layer. His family moved to Houston about a year after he was born and settled into a working-class neighborhood there.
Education and Early Career
In terms of his academic qualification, he earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism in 1953 from Sam Houston State Teachers College. During that time, he was editor of the school newspaper, The Houstonian.
He worked for KSAM-FM radio in Huntsville during college, calling junior high, high school, and Sam Houston State football games. Meanwhile, he briefly attended South Texas College of Law in Houston after finishing his undergraduate degree.
Additionally, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in January 1954 and was assigned to the Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego. He was soon discharged, however, after it was discovered that he had rheumatic fever as a child, which he had concealed during the enlistment process.
Professional Career
In the year 1954, I started working as a full-time reporter for ‘The Houston Chronicle.’ Working there, he used to scripted newscasts, reported, and was involved in broadcasting. Dan joined KTRH as a news director in 1956 and later worked as a television reporter for KTRK-TV. Similarly, he continued to report from the field and host broadcasts.
Additionally, he served as the news director of KHOU, a CBS affiliate station, in 1960. Similarly, he became well-known for his coverage of Hurricane Carla in 1961. The news network CBS decided to incorporate him into their main lineup. In 1962, CBS named him Bureau Chief of CBS News Southwest Bureau in Dallas.
He also covered the Civil Rights Movement and interviewed people like Martin Luther King Jr. and Vivian Malone. Dan’s stories addressed social, political, and economic concerns. Moreover, this reporter also became the anchor of “CBS Evening News” in 1981. He held this position until 2005. However, his journalistic integrity wasn’t harmed by the allegations.
Continued his successful career
Additionally, he was the host of “48 Hours” from 1988 to 2002. As a result, he also worked as a correspondent and host for ’60 Minutes II’ from January 1999 to September 2005.
Caption: Dan Rather talking interview with Simon Cowell (Source: Instagram)
In November 2006, he also joined HDNET (now AXS TV) and hosted his show titled “Dan Rather Reports.” Meanwhile, he started hosting the self-produced show “The Big Interview” on AXS TV in 2013. Quentin Tarantino, Aaron Sorkin, and Simon Cowell are among his most memorable guests in the show.
This journalist was also involved in the production of several documentaries for AXS TV under the title “Dan Presents.” ‘America’s Mental Health Crisis’ and ‘The Shameful Side of International Adoption’ are two of the most well-known documentary specials.
Recent Career
He would launch his production company, ‘News and Guts Media,’ which is closely associated with his projects in the year 2015. In 2018, it was announced that Rather would be a part of “The Young Turks,” an American news and commentary show on YouTube. His program ‘The News with Dan’ segment is a weekly 30-minute newscast that airs every Monday.
He co-wrote several acclaimed books, including ‘Deadlines and Datelines,’ (1999) and ‘The American Dream’ (2001). He’s also the author of two memoirs, “Rather Outspoken” (2013) and “What Unites Us: Reflections on Patriotism” (2017).
Awards
Through his successful career, he has earned several awards and honors. Sam Houston State University decided to honor Damn by renaming its communications building the Dan Communications Building. In 2005, he received the Lifetime Achievement Emmy Award for his ongoing contributions to journalism.
Moreover, Siena College in New York awarded him an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters in recognition of his contributions to journalism in the year 2007. In 2013, he was awarded the prestigious National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Trustees Award.
Net Worth 2024
Through his journalist career, he has earned a huge sum of money in his career. According to an online website, his net worth is estimated at around $70 million while his salary and earnings are still unknown.
Relationship Status
Caption: Dan Rather with his wife and his son (Source: Nicki Swift)
On 21 April 1957, Dan Rather married his wife Jean Goebel. With the relationship, the couple is blessed with two children namely, Danjack Rather, and Robin Rather. Meanwhile, the family is living happily and there are no signs of other marital affairs. There are no such controversies or rumors concerning his professional or personal life. Meanwhile, he avoids such things and has maintained a clean profile.
Body Measurements
Caption: Dan Rather posing for a photo (Source: The New York Times)
Rather stands 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighs an average. Meanwhile, he has a pair of greyish-green eyes with grey hair color.
Dan Rather – Social Media
On his Instagram page ‘@thedanrather’ there are over 150k followers. Likewise, there are over 2.6 million followers on his Twitter page ‘@DanRather’ and over 3 million followers on his Facebook page.