Cronkite, Walter

Cronkite, Walter (krong'kīt, kron'–) [key], 1916–, American news broadcaster, b. St. Joseph, Mo. He left the Univ. of Texas to write for the Houston Press and later for other Scripps-Howard newspapers. After joining United Press in 1939 he served as a war correspondent (1942–45) and reporter at the Nuremberg trials. He joined the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) in 1950, where he covered (1952) the first televised presidential nominating conventions and in 1962 became managing editor and anchorman of “The CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite.” In 1981, he stepped down from that role and became a special correspondent for CBS News. His books include Challenges of Change (1971) and a memoir (1996).

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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