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.
