Dan Rather Biography

Dan Rather

Hurricane Carla should receive some of the credit for Dan Rather's success, since it was his coverage of the storm for a Houston television station that first brought him to the attention of network executives. He was promoted to CBS's national news desk in 1964 where he continues to work today. Over the years, Rather earned a reputation for thoughtful reporting on complex events, such as the J.F.K. assassination and the Vietnam War. In 1975 he earned a seat at the top news show, 60 Minutes, but gave it up in 1981 to replace Walter Cronkite as the CBS Evening News anchor. He was joined briefly at the anchor desk in 1994 by Connie Chung, but he eventually went solo again. In 1988 he started hosting the CBS news show, 48 hours. Rather has written several books, including Refugees, Politics, and the Media (1978), Remember The Camera Never Blinks Twice (1977), The Further Adventures of a Television Journalist (1994).