Harry Reasoner
Harry Reasoner | |
---|---|
Born | Dakota City, Iowa, U.S. | April 17, 1923
Died | August 6, 1991 | (aged 68)
Education | Stanford University University of Minnesota |
Occupation | Journalist |
Years active | 1946–1991 |
Spouses | Kathleen Carroll Reasoner
(m. 1946; died 1986)Lois Harriett Weber
(m. 1988–1991) |
Children | 7 |
Harry Reasoner (April 17, 1923 – August 6, 1991) was an American journalist for CBS and ABC News, known for his adroit use of language as a television commentator and as one of the original hosts of the news magazine 60 Minutes (1968–1970, 1978–1991).
Over the course of his career, Reasoner won three
Early life
Reasoner was born on First Street North in Dakota City, Iowa; he and his older sister, Esther, were the children of Eunice (Nicholl) and Harry Ray Reasoner, who married in 1911.[1] Harry Reasoner was taught to read by his parents before entering school, gaining a broad vocabulary from his mother.[2]
Reasoner attended
Journalism
After beginning to work in radio with
JFK assassination
Reasoner took part in covering the
Thank you, Charles. As you know, CBS has announced that there will be no commercial announcements and no entertainment programming until President Kennedy's funeral.
He later reported on the arrival of
Reasoner's next appearance came on Sunday, two days later, and as Reasoner was at the anchor desk, Oswald was shot by Jack Ruby while he was being moved in the Dallas City Jail. At that very moment, Roger Mudd was filing a report from Washington which described the President's funeral arrangements:
Tomorrow there will be a final hour for the public to pay their final respects to the President before the President leaves Capitol Hill for the last time. The last soldier, milit—
At that moment, CBS abruptly cut back to Reasoner at the newsroom anchor desk with breaking news:
We are now switching to Dallas where they're about to move Lee Oswald, and where there's a scuffle in the police station.
When CBS picked up
60 Minutes
In 1968, Reasoner teamed up with
To ABC and back
In November 1970, Reasoner was hired away from CBS by
Reasoner anchored the news alongside Smith until 1975, when he took the sole anchor position while Smith moved into a commentary role. The next year, however, ABC paired Reasoner with a new co-anchor, former Today Show co-host Barbara Walters; ABC had gone to great lengths to hire her away from NBC. Walters and Reasoner did not enjoy a close relationship; Reasoner did not like sharing the spotlight with a co-anchor and also was uncomfortable with Walters's celebrity status.[8] Many also believed that Reasoner disliked the idea of a woman anchoring the network news; one woman at ABC told a reporter that he was a "male chauvinist pig."[9] He had a history of antifeminist editorializing on air. For example, on the December 21, 1971 newscast, he compared the newly launched feminist Ms. magazine to tabloid journalism and pornography, claiming that although the "girls" composing it were prettier than other "shock" publishers, their work had no value.[10]
Disclaiming gender bias against Barbara Walters, however, Reasoner said he was "trying to keep an open mind about it." In another interview, Reasoner said, "I've worked in journalism for women and with women for years. For two years I did a CBS morning news program with a woman. I feel they're no worse than men are."
After two years of co-anchoring ABC Evening News with Walters, Reasoner departed the network after nearly eight years in July 1978 and returned to CBS that fall, where he resumed his duties on 60 Minutes. Shortly after his departure ABC scrapped ABC Evening News altogether and reworked the newscast into
Reasoner stayed with 60 Minutes until his retirement, on May 19, 1991.[7]
Personal life
Reasoner was married twice, first to Kathleen Carroll Reasoner for 35 years until her death in 1986, and then to insurance executive Lois Harriett Weber in 1988. He had seven children by his first marriage: Harry Stuart, Ann, Elizabeth, Jane, Mary Ray, Ellen, and Jonathan. He had six grandchildren: Leslie, Ryan, Samantha, Christian, Ian, and John. Harry Reasoner had two operations for lung cancer, in 1987 and 1989.[11]
Death
Reasoner died within three months of his retirement in 1991 from a blood clot in the brain, resulting from a fall at his home in Westport, Connecticut. He is interred at Union Cemetery in Humboldt, Iowa.
References
- ^ Daniel 2007, p. 2.
- ^ Daniel 2007, p. 5-8.
- ^ "Harry Reasoner bio". CBS News. 20 August 2012. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
- ^ Daniel 2007, p. 17-18.
- ^ Minneapolis Tribune, May 5, 1949; Council Proceedings, Minneapolis, 1949, official statement of primary election results.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-08-14. Retrieved 2011-03-23.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ a b Severo, Richard (August 7, 1991). "Harry Reasoner, 68, Newscaster Known for His Wry Wit, Is Dead". The New York Times (The New York Times Company). Retrieved April 8, 2014.
- Journal Communications).
- ^ Walters, Barbara (June 2008). "Ms. Walters Reflects". Vanity Fair. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
- ISBN 0812922069.
- ^ Goodman, Mark (August 19, 1991). "Good Night, Harry". People (Time Inc.). Archived from the original on April 8, 2014. Retrieved April 8, 2014.
Bibliography
- Reasoner, Harry (1981). Before the Colors Fade. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 9780394504803. (Autobiography)
- Daniel, Douglass K. (2007). Harry Reasoner: A Life in the News. ISBN 9780292782365.
External links
- Harry Reasoner at IMDb
- Harry Reasoner at Find a Grave