Harry Reasoner

Grey-haired journalist who laced his commentary with wry wit and was one of the first correspondents on 60 Minutes. Having studied journalism at both Stanford and the University of Minnesota, he put his talents to work while still attending college, writing for the Minneapolis Times. His newspaper career was interrupted by his service in World War II (1943–46), but he continued as a rewrite man and then as a drama critic. He switched to radio in 1948, working for CBS, then went to Manila, Philippines to work for the United States Information Agency for three years. He then worked for a couple years as a Minneapolis television news director before moving to New York to become a commentator and special news narrator for CBS, where his use of style and language brought him praise. He won further notice for his coverage of the 1958 school desegregation in Little Rock, Arkansas, which led to his job as co-host of Calendar (1961–63) a morning television show. He and Mike Wallace initiated the 60 Minutes series in 1968, but Reasoner switched networks to ABC in 1970; he returned to CBS in 1979, remaining with the network and the show until he retired in May of 1991.