Reasoner, Harry, 1923-1991

Variant names

Dates:

Birth 1923-04-17

Death 1991-08-06

Biographical notes:

Harry Reasoner (1923-1991) was a television journalist. He worked at CBS News for twenty-seven years, beginning in 1956 and, with Mike Wallace, started the news show "60 Minutes". In 1970 he left CBS to co-anchor ABC News with Barbara Walters, and returned to CBS in 1978. He won two Emmy Awards and the George Foster Peabody Prize.

From the description of Reasoner, Harry, papers, 1944-1991. (University of Texas Libraries). WorldCat record id: 68903440

American journalist Harry Reasoner (1923-1991) was born in Dakota City, Iowa to Harry Ray Reasoner and Eunice Nicholl. In 1939, Reasoner was left to raise himself at age sixteen after his father died from a fall and his mother’s passing just a few years prior. He studied journalism at Stanford University and the University of Minnesota. While serving in World War II, he began writing his first novel entitled Tell Me About Women, published in 1946. His other publications include: The Reasoner Report (1966), The World Today (1975), and Before the Colors Fade (1981).

In 1956, Reasoner began working for CBS News, where he would spend the majority of his career. During 1961, the station asked him to co-host the weekday news program, Calendar, with Mary Fickett until its final air in 1963. He hosted 60 Minutes with Mike Wallace in 1968, leaving in 1970 to work as an anchor for the ABC Evening News, first with Howard K. Smith and later with Barbara Walters in 1976. Reasoner, however, rejoined 60 Minutes in 1978 after returning to CBS, remaining at both until his retirement in 1991.

Sources:

McKeever, Stuart A. “Going Home.”

Severo, Richard. “Harry Reasoner, 68, Newscaster Known for His Fry Wit, Is Dead.” The New York Times . August 7, 1991. Accessed November 4, 2011. http://www.nytimes.com/1991/08/07/obituaries/harry-reasoner-68-newscaster-known-for-his-wry-wit-is-dead.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm.

From the guide to the Reasoner, Harry, Papers 98-195, 98-368; 2002-120; 2011-310., 1944-1999, (Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin)