[13] Lehrer covered the House Judiciary Committee's impeachment inquiry of President Richard Nixon. All times are ET. Jim decided to take a chance on me, and I joined his incredible group of reporters for the next seven months before starting work for a Dallas law firm. Everyone on Jim’s talented team had been print reporters and no one had ever appeared on television. [5], After graduating from college Lehrer joined the United States Marine Corps and served for three years as an infantry officer. The Hill 1625 K Street, NW Suite 900 Washington DC 20006 | 202-628-8500 tel | 202-628-8503 fax. The program was renamed the PBS NewsHour in 2009.
He originally had sworn off moderating any debates after 2008; however, the CPD persisted, and he accepted as he was interested in the new format. [14], Lehrer underwent a heart valve surgery in April 2008. [9] He attributed his service and travels with helping him to look beyond himself and feel a connection to the world that he would not have otherwise experienced. Jim and Judge Hughes were old friends from his days covering the federal courts as a newspaper reporter. After spending several years in Texas party politics, in 1978 I ran again against a Democratic congressman in a primary and won 55 percent of the vote and was off to Washington on the first of my 13 terms. Seven years after appearing on “Newsroom,” I was elected to Congress by defeating an incumbent congressman in the Democratic primary. [17][18], Lehrer was involved in several projects related to U.S. presidential debates, including the Debating Our Destiny documentaries in 2000 and 2008, which feature excerpts of exclusive interviews with many of the presidential and vice-presidential candidates since 1976. [3] His father was a bus driver who briefly operated a bus company. Much has been written in the last few days about the legendary journalist Jim Lehrer, who died on January 23 at the age of 85. His book, Top Down, is a novel based on the events surrounding the Kennedy assassination. Disclaimer. All rights reserved. How will TV networks handle bogus Trump claims on election night? Jim Lehrer on what makes this impeachment different, Bannon on Trump era technique: 'Flood the zone with sh*t', Brian Stelter: Coming days are a test of American democracy, Election coverage will be socially distanced, but thorough. He graduated with an associate degree from Victoria College, and a bachelor's degree in journalism from the Missouri School of Journalism at the University of Missouri in 1956. Standard & Poor's and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. I loved his show, and judge Hughes put in a good word for my interest in being on the air with Jim following my clerkship.
He authored numerous fiction and non-fiction books that drew upon his experience as a newsman, along with his interests in history and politics.