Jim Lehrer
Encyclopedia
James Charles "Jim" Lehrer (icon; born May 19, 1934) is an American
journalist and the executive editor and former news anchor for PBS NewsHour on PBS
, known for his role as a frequent debate moderator during elections. Lehrer is an author of non-fiction
and fiction
, drawing from his experiences and interests in history and politics.
, the son of Lois Catherine (née Chapman), a bank clerk, and Harry Frederick Lehrer, a bus station manager. He attended middle school in Beaumont, Texas
and graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School (San Antonio, TX)
, where he was one of the three sports editors at the Jefferson Declaration. He also graduated from Victoria College in Texas and the Missouri School of Journalism
at the University of Missouri
. Lehrer joined the United States Marine Corps
and attributes his service and travels with helping him to look past himself and feel a connection to the world that he would not have otherwise experienced.
and the Dallas Times-Herald, where he covered the assassination of John F. Kennedy
in 1963. From 1970 to 1973, Lehrer anchored the local single-story news show, Newsroom on KERA-TV
, the local Public Broadcasting
affiliate station in Dallas. Lehrer began working with PBS network in 1973, and in 1975 developed and co-anchored The MacNeil/Lehrer Report with Robert MacNeil
. The news show was later renamed The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour, and after MacNeil's departure in 1995 was named The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer and finally PBS NewsHour in 2009.
Nicknamed the "Dean of Moderators" by CNN
's Bernard Shaw
, Lehrer has moderated eleven presidential candidate debates, with the most recent being the presidential debate
between senators Barack Obama
and John McCain
on September 26, 2008.
Lehrer underwent a heart valve surgery in April 2008, and, while he recuperated, Ray Suarez
anchored in his stead until his return on June 28, 2008.
On May 12, 2011, Lehrer announced he would be stepping down as anchor of PBS NewsHour on June 6, 2011, but would continue to moderate the Friday news analysis segments, and would continue to be involved with the show's production company, MacNeil/Lehrer Productions.
enthusiast. His father was a bus driver and also briefly operated a bus company. As a college student in the 1950s, he worked as a Trailways ticket agent in Victoria, Texas
. He is a supporter of the Pacific Bus Museum in Williams, California
and the Museum of Bus Transportation in Hershey, Pennsylvania
. He is a collector of bus memorabilia, including depot signs, driver caps, and antique toy buses.
Lehrer is married to the novelist Kate Lehrer
. They have three daughters and six grandchildren.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
journalist and the executive editor and former news anchor for PBS NewsHour on PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
, known for his role as a frequent debate moderator during elections. Lehrer is an author of non-fiction
Non-fiction
Non-fiction is the form of any narrative, account, or other communicative work whose assertions and descriptions are understood to be fact...
and fiction
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
, drawing from his experiences and interests in history and politics.
Early years
Lehrer was born in Wichita, KansasWichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
, the son of Lois Catherine (née Chapman), a bank clerk, and Harry Frederick Lehrer, a bus station manager. He attended middle school in Beaumont, Texas
Beaumont, Texas
Beaumont is a city in and county seat of Jefferson County, Texas, United States, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's population was 118,296 at the 2010 census. With Port Arthur and Orange, it forms the Golden Triangle, a major industrial area on the...
and graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School (San Antonio, TX)
Thomas Jefferson High School (San Antonio, TX)
Thomas Jefferson High School is a public high school in San Antonio, Texas and is one of ten high schools in the San Antonio Independent School District...
, where he was one of the three sports editors at the Jefferson Declaration. He also graduated from Victoria College in Texas and the Missouri School of Journalism
Missouri School of Journalism
The Missouri School of Journalism at University of Missouri in Columbia, claims to be the oldest formal journalism school in the world. Founded in 1908, only the Ecole Supérieure de Journalisme de Paris established in 1899 may be older...
at the University of Missouri
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
. Lehrer joined the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
and attributes his service and travels with helping him to look past himself and feel a connection to the world that he would not have otherwise experienced.
Career
Lehrer began his career in journalism at The Dallas Morning NewsThe Dallas Morning News
The Dallas Morning News is the major daily newspaper serving the Dallas, Texas area, with a circulation of 264,459 subscribers, the Audit Bureau of Circulations reported in September 2010...
and the Dallas Times-Herald, where he covered the assassination of John F. Kennedy
Assassination of John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the thirty-fifth President of the United States, was assassinated at 12:30 p.m. Central Standard Time on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dealey Plaza, Dallas, Texas...
in 1963. From 1970 to 1973, Lehrer anchored the local single-story news show, Newsroom on KERA-TV
KERA-TV
KERA-TV, virtual channel 13 , is the PBS member station in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Licensed to Dallas, it broadcasts from a transmitter located in Cedar Hill. However, it also serves as the default PBS station for the Abilene, San Angelo and Tyler/Longview/Lufkin/Nacogdoches markets, as...
, the local Public Broadcasting
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
affiliate station in Dallas. Lehrer began working with PBS network in 1973, and in 1975 developed and co-anchored The MacNeil/Lehrer Report with Robert MacNeil
Robert MacNeil
Robert Breckenridge Ware MacNeil, OC, known sometimes as Robin MacNeil, , is currently a novelist and formerly was a television news anchor and journalist who had paired with Jim Lehrer to create The MacNeil/Lehrer Report in 1975.-Early life:MacNeil was born in Montreal, the son of Margaret...
. The news show was later renamed The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour, and after MacNeil's departure in 1995 was named The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer and finally PBS NewsHour in 2009.
Nicknamed the "Dean of Moderators" by CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
's Bernard Shaw
Bernard Shaw (journalist)
Bernard Shaw is a retired American journalist and former news anchor for CNN from 1980 until his retirement in March 2001.-Early years:...
, Lehrer has moderated eleven presidential candidate debates, with the most recent being the presidential debate
United States presidential election debates
During presidential elections in the United States, it has become customary for the main candidates to engage in a debate...
between senators Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
and John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
on September 26, 2008.
Lehrer underwent a heart valve surgery in April 2008, and, while he recuperated, Ray Suarez
Ray Suarez
Rafael Suarez, Jr. , known as Ray Suarez, is an American broadcast journalist. Suarez joined the PBS NewsHour in 1999 and became a senior correspondent for the evening news program on the PBS television network. He is also host of the international news and analysis public radio program America...
anchored in his stead until his return on June 28, 2008.
On May 12, 2011, Lehrer announced he would be stepping down as anchor of PBS NewsHour on June 6, 2011, but would continue to moderate the Friday news analysis segments, and would continue to be involved with the show's production company, MacNeil/Lehrer Productions.
Personal life
Lehrer is a busBus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
enthusiast. His father was a bus driver and also briefly operated a bus company. As a college student in the 1950s, he worked as a Trailways ticket agent in Victoria, Texas
Victoria, Texas
Victoria is a city in and the seat of Victoria County, Texas, United States. The population was 60,603 at the 2000 census. The three counties of the Victoria Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 111,163 at the 2000 census,...
. He is a supporter of the Pacific Bus Museum in Williams, California
Williams, California
Williams is a city in Colusa County, California, United States. The population was 5,123 at the 2010 census, up from 3,670 at the 2000 census. It is a traveler's city with many fast food restaurants, motels, and gas stations...
and the Museum of Bus Transportation in Hershey, Pennsylvania
Hershey, Pennsylvania
Hershey is a census-designated place in Derry Township, Dauphin County in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The community is located 14 miles east of Harrisburg and is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area. Hershey has no legal status as an incorporated municipality...
. He is a collector of bus memorabilia, including depot signs, driver caps, and antique toy buses.
Lehrer is married to the novelist Kate Lehrer
Kate Lehrer
Kate Lehrer is a writer from Washington, DC. She has written four novels, numerous short stories, essays, and book reviews, and is a panelist on the Diane Rehm Book Club on NPR.Lehrer's first novel, Best Intentions, was published in 1987....
. They have three daughters and six grandchildren.
Honors and awards
- American Academy of Arts and Sciences Fellow (1991)
- University of Missouri School of Journalism's Medal of Honor
- William Allen White Foundation Award for Journalistic Merit
- George Foster Peabody Award
- Fred Friendly First Amendment Award,
- Emmy Award
- National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Silver Circle (1999)
- Television Hall of Fame (1999)
- National Humanities MedalNational Humanities MedalThe National Humanities Medal honors individuals or groups whose work has deepened the nation’s understanding of the humanities, broadened citizens’ engagement with the humanities, or helped preserve and expand Americans’ access to important resources in the humanities.The award, given by the...
(1999)
Further reading
- Art at Our Doorstep: San Antonio Writers and Artists featuring Jim Lehrer. Edited by Nan Cuba and Riley Robinson (Trinity University Press, 2008).
External links
- Biography on PBS NewsHour
- 1998 UW Commencement Speech
- Write TV Public Television Interview with Jim Lehrer
- Archive of American Television interview
- A conversation with Jim Lehrer, on The Media Report, 10 May 2007
- Jim Lehrer discusses his novel, The Phony Marine (video)