Jim Lehrer

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2008)

James Charles Lehrer
Lehrer at the 2007 Texas Book Festival
Born	May 19, 1934 (1934-05-19) (age 74) Wichita, Kansas
Occupation	news anchor, television journalist
Spouse	Kate Lehrer
Children	three
Notable credit(s)	The News Hour anchor (1975–present)

James Charles Lehrer (pronounced /ˈlɛrɚ/) (born May 19, 1934) is an American journalist. He is the news anchor for The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer on PBS. Lehrer is also an acclaimed author, writing both non-fiction and fiction which draws on his life experiences and his interests in history and politics. He has also served as mediator for several U.S. Presidential debates, most recently in the 2000 election year between George W. Bush and then-Vice-President Al Gore.

Contents 1 History 2 Written works 2.1 Books 2.2 Films 2.3 Plays 3 See also 4 References 5 External links

[edit] History

Lehrer was born in Wichita, Kansas, and attended middle school in Beaumont, Texas. He graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in San Antonio, Texas, where he was one of the three sports editors at the Jefferson Declaration. He also graduated from Victoria College and the University of Missouri's Missouri School of Journalism.

After three years in the United States Marine Corps, he began his news career in Dallas, first as a newspaperman, covering the assassination of President Kennedy on November 22, 1963 (as did more strikingly--his news partner later on, Robert MacNeil), and then, 1970 - 73, as the anchor on a local single-story in-depth news show - Newsroom on KERA-TV, the local PBS affiliate. Lehrer started work with PBS network in 1973, and in 1975 started The MacNeil/Lehrer Report with Mr. MacNeil. The show was later renamed The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour, and in its most recent incarnation is known as The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.

Nicknamed the "Dean of Moderators"^[1] by CNN's Bernard Shaw, Lehrer has been the moderator for 10 debates among candidates vying for President of the United States of America. Most recently he moderated the first presidential debate between George W. Bush and John Kerry during the 2004 election campaign on September 30, 2004.

Lehrer is well known as a bus enthusiast. He is a major supporter of the Pacific Bus Museum in Williams, California, and the Museum of Bus Transportation in Hershey, Pennsylvania. His father was a bus driver and also briefly operated a bus company. As a college student, he worked as a Trailways ticket agent.

Lehrer is also a well known proponent of mandatory national service.^{[citation needed]}

He is married to the novelist Kate Lehrer, and has three children and six grandchildren. He was awarded the Presidential National Humanities Medal in 1999.

Lehrer was due to host the NewsHour from Pittsburgh in April of 2008, but plans for this were sidelined when producers announced that his doctor advised him not to travel for health reasons. The NewsHour announced that correspondents Gwen Ifill and Judy Woodruff would fill in during his absence. ^[2]

Ray Suarez of News Hour announced on April 25, 2008 that Lehrer underwent a successful heart valve surgery, and would be back to work in a few weeks. ^[3]

[edit] Written works

Note: This list is incomplete.

[edit] Books

• Eureka (Random House, 2007) ISBN 1-4000-6487-2
• The Phony Marine (Random House, 2006) ISBN 1-4000-6486-4
• The Franklin Affair (Random House, 2005) ISBN 1-4000-6198-9
• False Moves (Random House, 2005) ISBN 1-4000-6198-9
• Flying Crows: A Novel (Random House, 2004) ISBN 1-4000-6197-0
• 20 Good Reasons to Study the Civil War by John C. Waugh, Jim Lehrer (McWhiney Foundation Press, 2004) ISBN 1-893114-46-5
• No Certain Rest (Random House, 2002) ISBN 0-375-50372-2
• The Special Prisoner (Random House, 2000) ISBN 0-375-50371-4
• White Widow (Random House, 1999) ISBN 0-517-36148-5
• Purple Dots (Random House, 1998) ISBN 0-679-45237-0
• The Last Debate (Random House, 1997) ISBN 0-517-17761-7
• Fine Lines (Random House, 1995) ISBN 0-517-16435-3
• Blue Hearts (Random House, 1993) ISBN 0-679-42216-1
• A Bus of My Own (Putnam, 1992) ISBN 0-399-13765-3
• Short List (Putnam, 1992) ISBN 0-399-13665-7
• Lost and Found (Putnam, 1991) ISBN 0-399-13601-0
• The Sooner Spy (Putnam, 1990) ISBN 0-399-13536-7
• Crown Oklahoma (Putnam, 1989) ISBN 0-399-13434-4
• Kick the Can (Putnam, 1988) ISBN 0-399-13350-X
• We Were Dreamers (Atheneum, 1975) ISBN 0-689-10693-9
• Viva Max!

[edit] Films

Viva Max! (1970) writing credit with Elliott Baker

[edit] Plays

• The Will and Bart Show
• Church Key Charlie Blue
• Chili Queen

[edit] See also

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• PBS biography
• Jim Lehrer at the Internet Movie Database
• 1998 UW Commencement Speech
• Homepage of PBS' The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
• The Newshour with Jim Lehrer Biography
• 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)

Media offices
Preceded by Robert MacNeil	NewsHour anchor 1975 – present	Succeeded by Incumbent
Notes and references
1. Lehrer co-anchored with MacNeil from 1975 to 1995.

v • d • e PBS Television Science WIRED Science · NOVA · Scientific American Frontiers Documentaries American Experience · Frontline Public Affairs Nightly Business Report · The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer · Washington Week Fine Arts Great Performances Drama Masterpiece Theatre · Mystery! Movies P.O.V. · Independent Lens Personalities Ric Burns · Paul Kangas · Jim Lehrer · Bill Moyers · Charlie Rose · Tavis Smiley See also PBS Kids Shows · List of PBS member stations · PBS network shows