Daniel Irvin "Dan" Rather, Jr. net worth is $75 Million
Daniel Irvin "Dan" Rather, Jr. Wiki Biography
Daniel Irvin Rather Jr. was born on 31 October 1931, in Wharton County, Texas USA, to mother Veda and father Daniel Irvin Rather. He is a journalist, the editor and program anchor who became famous through his 24-year career as the anchor of the popular CBS Evening News.
So just how rich is Dan Rather? Sources state that Rather has earned a net worth of over $75 million, as of 2017. The main source of his wealth has been his long and successful career as news anchor, during a career which actually began in 1950.
Dan Rather Net Worth $75 Million
Rather grew up in Houston and attended Love Elementary School and Hamilton Middle School. After his matriculation from John H. Reagan High School in 1950, he enrolled in Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas to study journalism. While at college, he became the editor of the campus paper The Houstonian, while also taking a job at a small radio station; he then interned as a reporter for Associated Press and United Press International. Upon graduating, Rather enlisted in the Marine Corps, but was disqualified because he had suffered from rheumatic fever during his childhood.
In 1954 Rather started to work for the Houston Chronicle’s radio station KTRH. He went on to become a television reporter for KTRK-TV, and then in 1961 a news director for KHOU-TV, the CBS association in Houston. His fearless report during Hurricane Carla brought him a national reputation and a promotion to CBS network correspondent in 1962. He then became CBS national news correspondent for its southwestern bureau, and Rather’s report of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination brought him much attention from the CBS managers, which resulted in his promotion to the White House correspondent for CBS in Washington in 1964. At the time, Rather was covering other major events such as the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal too, which made him one of the main figures in the national news media and greatly contributed to his net worth.
In 1974 Rather became the chief correspondent for the documentary program “CBS Reports”, and the following year saw him leading the top news show “60 Minutes”. Rather eventually gave up this prestigious position to embrace the opportunity of replacing Walter Cronkite as the anchor of the “CBS Evening News” in 1981. CBS News was one of the top three most successful news outlets, drawing around seven million viewers, which success significantly raised Rather’s profile and boosted his wealth. In the meantime, he also hosted “60 Minutes II” and another CBS news – “48 Hours”.
Rather left the position of CBS anchor in 2005. His 24-year-long career was said to be the longest anchor tenure in US media history. During his career at CBS, Rather was often the target of critics who accused him of disrespecting President Richard Nixon. and later George W. Bush’s military career, as Rather became involved in a controversy by reporting about documents related to Bush’s service in the Texas Air National Guard, which suggested that Bush had received special treatment by having connections. Although this became a huge journalistic triumph, the authenticity of the documents was questioned. After CBS investigated the case, they admitted that the documents were false, and several CBS employees were fired. This was believed to be the cause of Rather’s retirement from CBS a few months later, and he eventually filed a $70 million lawsuit against CBS for making him a “scapegoat” in this controversy, but the court dismissed the case.
In 2006 Rather began hosting the show “Dan Rather Reports” at AXS TV network. He left the position in 2013 to produce and host the AXS series “The Big Interview”, and documentaries in “Dan Rather Presents”. He still often appears on several news shows, and writes for The Huffington Post and Mashable.
In 2012 Rather released his autobiography “Rather Outspoken: My Life in the News”. In 2015 he created his own company “News and Guts Media” producing “The Big Interview” as well as several other shows.
Rather’s career has earned him an extraordinary wealth within his profession, as well as many awards, such as a number of Emmy and Peabody awards and several honorary degrees.
When it comes to his personal life, Rather has been married to Jean Goebel since 1957. The couple has two children, and the family divides its time between New York and Texas.
News & Documentary Emmy Award for Outstanding Coverage of a Breaking News Story in a Newscast (2003), News & Documentary Emmy Award for Outstanding Business and Economic Reporting (2010, 2011), Peabody Awards, Emmy Trustees Award (2014), Paul White Award (Lifetime Achievement)
Nominations
News & Documentary Emmy Award for Outstanding Interview, News & Documentary Emmy Award for Outstanding Investigative Journalism in a News Magazine, News & Documentary Emmy Award for Outstanding Investigative Journalism – Long Form, News & Documentary Emmy Award for Outstanding Informational Progra...
Movies
"The War You Don't See" (2010), "Barbecue: A Texas Love Story" (2005), "The Gospel Music of Johnny Cash (2007)
TV Shows
"Dan Rather Reports" (2006-), "CBS Evening News" (1981- 2005), "60 Minutes" (1968-1981, 1999-2006), “The Big Interview”, “Dan Rather Presents”
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Trademark
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In the 1980s, he used to sign off each news broadcast with the word "Courage".
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Use of odd metaphors, or "Texanisms," when reporting the news
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Quote
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It is a somewhat surreal experience to see yourself being played by Robert Redford. He made me look better on screen than I ever thought I looked.
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Americans will put up with anything provided it doesn't block traffic.
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Apologizing for CBS News failing to verify questionable documents about President George W. Bush's time in the Texas Air National Guard: "We made a mistake in judgment, and for that I am sorry. It was an error that was made, however, in good faith and in the spirit of trying to carry on a CBS News tradition of investigative reporting without fear or favoritism. - September 20, 2004
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"What separated Ed Murrow from the rest of the pack was courage. I know what you're thinking. I've gotten in trouble before for using the word. Probably deserved it. Maybe I used it inappropriately. Maybe I'm a poor person to talk about it because I have little myself. But I want to hear the word. I want to hear it praised, and the men and women who have courage elevated." - Speaking at the forty-eighth annual conference of the Radio-Television News Directors Association, September 29, 1993.
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Fact
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Attended Hamilton Junior School in Houston, Texas.
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His Alma Mater, Sam Houston State University, was originally named Sam Houston Normal Institute, and later, Sam Houston State Teachers College. It was founded for the purpose of training teachers, and to this day, has the reputation for having one of the best educator preparation courses in the state.
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Has a Muppet on Sesame Street (1969) named after him, the grouch journalist "Dan Rather-Not".
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Graduate of Reagan High School in Houston, Texas in the 1950s.
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Attended Gethsemane Lutheran Church in Northwest Houston, as a youngster
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On September 20, 2004, he made a televised apology for the CBS News failing to verify the authenticity of questionably documents used in support of a 60 Minutes Wednesday (1999) story about President George W. Bush's military record in the Texas Air National Guard. A two-person investigative panel formed by CBS said that a "myopic zeal" on the part of the CBS News to break the story, which the panel found to be be neither fair nor accurate and did not meet the organization's internal standards. As a result of the panel's findings, CBS fired four CBS News employees, including three executives. Although the panel placed no specific blame on him, the incident damaged his credibility and was believed to have led to the announcement of his retirement as anchor of the "CBS Evening News".
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Appeared in disguise as an Afghan peasant for his 1980 60 Minutes (1968) on-location reports on the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Although he explained that the disguise was necessary for reporting from the war zone, the media ridiculed him, calling him "Gunga Dan". The Soviet press agency Tass later reported Afghan newspaper had accused him of participating in the murder of three villagers while he was in Afghanistan, accusations that he denied and was generally regarded as ridiculous.
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Announced that he is stepping down as anchor of "The CBS Evening News" in March 2005, on the 24th anniversary of his first broadcast as anchor. He will remain with CBS News as a correspondent for "60 Minutes Sunday" and "60 Minutes Wednesday." [November 2004]
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During CBS's live coverage of the tumultuous 1968 Democratic National Convention, he saw some men with no identification or badges trying to forcibly remove what appeared to be a Georgia delegate from the building. When he attempted to interview the candidate, one of the men punched him on camera.
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On September 11, 1987, he became so furious at the prospect of having his CBS News broadcast delayed by a U.S. Tennis match, that he walked off the set. When he did not return in time for the start of the news, CBS aired a blank screen for over five minutes. The incident was later recalled during his January 1988 interview with then-Vice President George Bush; when Rather questioned him about the Iran-Contra scandal, Bush asked Rather if he would like to have his career judged by the blank screen incident.
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In 1991, his car was broken into. Instead of having the criminal arrested, he gave him a lecture on the choices he had made in life. They later met in Kuwait. The man, who was now an Apache pilot, thanked Rather for giving him the lecture and turning his life around.
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Has one daughter, Robin, and one son, Danjack.
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Was the first guest on Late Show with David Letterman (1993) on September 17, 2001 show, Letterman's first show after the September 11, 2001 tragedy. He broke out in tears twice having to describe these terrorist events.
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Graduated from Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas, where the communications building is named for him.
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In 1986, he was chased and kicked onto a Manhattan sidewalk by William Tager, a man who kept asking, "Kenneth, what is the frequency?"