James Charles "Jim" Lehrer (born May 19 1934) is an American journalist and the news anchor for The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer on PBS. Lehrer is an author of non-fiction and fiction, drawing from his experiences and interests in history and politics.

Biography

Early years

Lehrer was born in Wichita, Kansas, the son of Lois Catherine (née Chapman), a bank clerk, and Harry Frederick Lehrer, a bus station manager. He attended middle school in Beaumont, Texas and 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 Missouri School of Journalism at the University of Missouri. Lehrer joined the United States Marine Corps and attributes his service and travels with helping him to look past himself and feel a connection to the world that he would not have otherwise experienced.

Career

Lehrer began his news career at The Dallas Morning News and Dallas Times-Herald, covered the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963. From 1970 to 1973, anchored the local single-story news show, Newsroom on KERA-TV, the local Public Broadcasting affiliate station in Dallas. Lehrer began working with PBS network in 1973, and in 1975 developed and co-anchored the The MacNeil/Lehrer Report with Robert MacNeil. The news show was later renamed The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour, and after MacNeil's departure in 1995 was ultimately named The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.

Nicknamed the "Dean of Moderators" by CNN's Bernard Shaw, Lehrer has moderated ten presidential candidate debates, with the most recent being the presidential debate between senators Barack Obama and John McCain on September 26 2008.

Lehrer underwent a heart valve surgery in April 2008, and while he recuperated, Ray Suarez anchored in his stead until his return on June 28 2008.

Personal life

Lehrer is a bus enthusiast, and is 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 married to the novelist Kate Lehrer, and has three children and six grandchildren.

Honors and awards

• American Academy of Arts and Sciences Fellow (1991)
• University of Missouri School of Journalism's Medal of Honor
• William Allen White Foundation Award for Journalistic Merit
• George Foster Peabody Award
• Fred Friendly First Amendment Award,
• Emmy Award
• National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Silver Circle (1999)
• Television Hall of Fame (1999)
• National Humanities Medal (1999)

Bibliography

• Lehrer, Jim (1975). We Were Dreamers. New York: Atheneum.
• Lehrer, Jim (1988). Kick the Can. New York: Putnam.
• Lehrer, Jim (1989). Crown Oklahoma. New York: Putnam.
• Lehrer, Jim (1990). The Sooner Spy. New York: Putnam.
• Lehrer, Jim (1991). Lost and Found. New York: Putnam.
• Lehrer, Jim (1992). A Bus of My Own. New York: Putnam.
• Lehrer, Jim (1992). Short List. New York: Putnam.
• Lehrer, Jim (1993). Blue Hearts. New York: Random House.
• Lehrer, Jim (1995). Fine Lines. New York: Random House.
• Lehrer, Jim (1996). White Widow. New York: Random House.
• Lehrer, Jim (1997). The Last Debate. New York: Random House.
• Lehrer, Jim (1998). Purple Dots. New York: Random House.
• Lehrer, Jim (2000). The Special Prisoner. New York: Random House.
• Lehrer, Jim (2002). No Certain Rest. New York: Random House.
• Lehrer, Jim (2004). Flying Crows: A Novel. New York: Random House.
• Lehrer, Jim (2005). The Franklin Affair. New York: Random House.
• Lehrer, Jim (2005). False Moves. New York: Random House.
• Lehrer, Jim (2006). The Phony Marine. New York: Random House.
• Lehrer, Jim (2007). Eureka. New York: Random House. Screenplays
• White Widow screenplay is currently being written by Luke Wilson
• Viva Max! (1970) writing credit with Elliott Baker Plays
• The Will and Bart Show
• Church Key Charlie Blue
• Chili Queen

References

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)

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