Walter Cronkite

Walter Cronkite (1916-) was born in St. Joseph, Missouri. From that small midwestern town, he went on to become one of the most famous journalists of all time. His news career spanned decades in which he covered some of the most significant events of the "American Century", including three wars in Europe and Asia, the sixties, Watergate, and landings on the moon.

Early Life

Cronkite was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, U.S.A., 4 November 1916. He attended University of Texas, 1933-35 and married Mary Elizabeth Maxwell in 1940. The couple had three children.

Reporting Carreer

According to the Museum of Broadcast Communications, Cronkite began his career as a newswriter and editor for Scripps-Howard and United Press in places like Houston, Texas; Kansas City, Missouri; Dallas, Austin, and El Paso, Texas; and New York City. From there, Cronkite went to Europe, becoming the UP's war correspondent from 1942 to 1945 and subsequently reopening bureaus in Amsterdam and Brussels. Among other assignments, he served as chief correspondent for the Nuremberg war crimes trials.

The CBS Evening News

In 1962, Cronkite entered American living rooms and remained a fixture for nearly two decades. With a deep voice and fatherly manner, Cronkite has been described as a comforting figure during the events following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. But Cronkite also received recognition as a serious journalist. He received several Emmy Awards; two Peabody Awards in 1962 and 1981; the William A. White Award for journalistic merit in 1969; the George Polk Journalism Award in 1971; and Alfred I. DuPont Awards in 1978 and 1981. He also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1981.