Dan Rather is an American journalist and former national news anchor who has a net worth of $70 million. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential broadcast journalists of the modern era, known for his groundbreaking reporting over a career that has spanned more than five decades. Rather first gained national attention while reporting from Dallas on the day of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, a moment that led to his rapid rise within CBS News. He later became the network’s White House correspondent and eventually the anchor of the CBS Evening News, a position he held for 24 years until his departure following the Killian documents controversy in 2005.
- Dan Rather Net Worth: $70 Million
- Date of Birth: October 31, 1931
- Place of Birth: Wharton, Texas
- Nationality: American
- Profession: Journalist
Early Life
Daniel Irvin Rather Jr. was born on October 31, 1931, in Wharton, Texas, and raised in Houston. His parents were Daniel Irvin Rather Sr., a ditch digger and pipe layer, and Byrl Veda Page.
Rather attended Lovett Elementary School, Hamilton Middle School, and John H. Reagan High School before enrolling at Sam Houston State Teachers College in Huntsville, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in journalism. While in college, he gained early broadcasting experience by calling football games for KSAM-FM radio. After graduation, he briefly attended South Texas College of Law but ultimately pursued journalism full-time.
He began his professional career in 1950 as an Associated Press reporter and later worked for United Press, the Houston Chronicle, and several Texas radio stations. In the late 1950s, he also served as a play-by-play announcer for the University of Houston football team before moving into television news at KTRK-TV and later KHOU-TV, the CBS affiliate in Houston.
Hurricane Carla
Rather’s national breakthrough came in September 1961 while covering Hurricane Carla. His reporting from KHOU-TV, which included one of the first televised radar images of a hurricane, played a major role in convincing more than 350,000 people to evacuate. The effort is credited with saving thousands of lives and established Rather as a rising national news figure.
Rise at CBS News
In 1962, Rather joined CBS News in New York for a trial assignment before being appointed chief of the network’s Southwest bureau in Dallas and later its Southern bureau in New Orleans.
He was in Dallas in November 1963 when President Kennedy was assassinated, and his reporting during the aftermath earned him national recognition. In 1964, CBS appointed him White House correspondent.
Over the next several years, Rather served as a foreign correspondent in London and Vietnam before returning to the United States to cover the Nixon administration. He became a key figure in reporting on the Watergate scandal, the impeachment proceedings, and President Nixon’s resignation.
CBS Evening News
Following Nixon’s resignation, Rather became chief correspondent for CBS Reports and later joined 60 Minutes. In 1981, he was named managing editor and anchor of the CBS Evening News, succeeding Walter Cronkite.
During his tenure, the broadcast faced increased competition and fluctuating ratings, but Rather remained a central figure in American television journalism. He returned the program to the top ratings position between 1985 and 1989.
In addition to anchoring, he hosted 48 Hours beginning in 1988 and later co-anchored the CBS Evening News with Connie Chung from 1993 to 1995. In 1999, he joined 60 Minutes II as a correspondent.
Throughout his CBS career, Rather covered some of the most significant global events of the era, including the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, the Iran-Contra affair, the Soviet-Afghan War, and the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Killian Documents Controversy
In 2004, Rather reported on 60 Minutes II a story involving documents critical of President George W. Bush’s National Guard service. The authenticity of the documents was later questioned, and CBS ultimately acknowledged they had not been properly verified.
The incident led to internal investigations, the firing of a producer involved in the report, and widespread controversy in the journalism world. Rather retired from the CBS Evening News in 2005 and later left the network entirely in 2006 after CBS declined to renew his contract.
In 2007, he filed a $70 million lawsuit against CBS, alleging he had been made a scapegoat, but the case was dismissed in 2009.
Post-CBS Career
After leaving CBS, Rather joined Mark Cuban’s AXS TV network, where he hosted and produced “Dan Rather Reports” for seven years. He later launched “The Big Interview with Dan Rather,” featuring in-depth conversations with musicians, actors, and cultural figures.
He has also contributed to digital journalism platforms, including appearances on The Young Turks, and frequently appears on cable news programs such as The Rachel Maddow Show and The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell.
Salary and Contracts
At the height of his CBS career, Dan Rather earned an estimated annual salary of $6 million.
Personal Life
Dan Rather married Jean Goebel in 1957. The couple has two children: daughter Robin, an environmentalist and activist, and son Dan, an assistant district attorney in New York City.
Awards
Rather has received numerous honors throughout his career, including multiple Peabody Awards and a Lifetime Achievement Emmy Award. In 2007, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Siena College in New York.
Author: Andrew Walyaula
Andrew Walyaula is a seasoned multimedia journalist. Email: [email protected]
