Harry Reasoner

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Harry Reasoner (April 17, 1923 – August 6, 1991) was an American journalist known for his use of language as a television commentator.

Born in Dakota City, Iowa, Reasoner studied journalism at Stanford University and the University of Minnesota. He served in World War II and then resumed his journalism career with The Minneapolis Times. After going into radio with CBS in 1948, Reasoner worked for the United States Information Agency in the Philippines. When he returned stateside, he went into television and worked at station KEYD (later KMSP) in Minneapolis. Reasoner then moved to New York, where he hosted a morning news program called Calendar on top of doing commentator and special news narration duties.

Reasoner's greatest contribution to television news reporting came in 1968, when he teamed up with Mike Wallace to begin the 60 Minutes newsmagazine series. Reasoner joined ABC in 1970 as co-anchor with Howard K. Smith of the ABC Evening News until 1975 when Reasoner became sole anchor. From 1976 until 1978 Reasoner co-anchored the news with Barbara Walters. Walters and Reasoner did not enjoy a close relationship; Reasoner not only didn't like sharing the spotlight with a co-anchor but was uncomfortable with Walters' celebrity status. The disastrous arrangement ended in 1978. Reasoner returned to CBS and remained at the network until he retired in May 1991.

Reasoner was married twice, to Kathleen Carroll Reasoner for 34 years and then to Lois Harriett Weber. He had seven children by his first marriage. Reasoner died three months after his retirement at the age of 68 from a blood clot in the brain received from a fall at his home in Westport, Connecticut. He is interred at Union Cemetery in Humboldt, Iowa. An editorial cartoon the day after his death showed Reasoner arriving at the Pearly Gates, with a startled St. Peter crying, "Oh, no! It's 60 Minutes!"

Reasoner didn't mind poking a little fun at his profession. Two of his more cynical comments on journalism:

  • "Journalism is a kind of profession, or craft, or racket, for people who never wanted to grow up and go out into the real world."
  • "If you're a good journalist, what you do is live a lot of things vicariously, and report them for other people who want to live vicariously."


Preceded by:
Howard K. Smith and Frank Reynolds		 ABC Evening News anchor
1970-1975		 Succeeded by:
Harry Reasoner and Barbara Walters

[edit] External links


Anchors of ABC Evening News/World News Tonight/World News
Daly • Young • Reynolds • Smith • Reasoner • Walters • Robinson • Jennings • Woodruff/Vargas • Gibson


60 Minutes Correspondents
Christiane Amanpour • Ed Bradley • Anderson Cooper • Katie Couric • Steve Kroft • Lara Logan • Scott Pelley • Dan Rather • Harry Reasoner • Morley Safer • Diane Sawyer • Bob Simon • Lesley Stahl • Mike Wallace
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