Walter Cronkite, Legendary Journalist, Dies At 92 - ABC News ABC News Walter Cronkite, Legendary Newsman Dies at Age 92 By HUMA KHAN Email Walter Leland Cronkite, a legendary reporter and anchorman who was once voted the "most trusted man in America," died today at age 92. The man who anchored the "CBS Evening News" from 1962 to 1981 died of cerebral vascular disease at 7:42 p.m. ET in his New York City home surrounded by his family, Cronkite's longtime chief of staff, Marlene Adler, told The Associated Press. "Walter was always more than just an anchor," President Obama said this evening in a prepared statement. "He was someone we could trust to guide us through the most important issues of the day; a voice of certainty in an uncertain world. He was family. He invited us to believe in him, and he never let us down." Play null Cronkite became best known on CBS News during the 1960s when he established the prominent role of the television news anchorman for the network's newly expanded evening news program.

"Walter Cronkite set an example for all broadcast journalism by simply doing his best to tell us the truth about things that matter, with courage and without partisanship," ABC News president David Westin said. "We will miss him, but will seek to keep his spirit alive by following his example." Cronkite was held in such esteem in broadcast journalism that his name became synonymous with "news anchor" around the world. Play null ABC News' anchors mourned the their fellow journalist. "Walter Cronkite was and always will be the gold standard," said Charles Gibson, anchor of "World News." "His objectivity, his even-handedness, his news judgment are all great examples. He, as much as anyone, is responsible for developing network television news. He set the standard. He told it 'the way it is' and all of us who are privileged to work in this business owe him an enormous debt of gratitude." "He was the defining anchor of America's story -- reminding us of what we can be at our best," added Diane Sawyer, anchor of "Good Morning America." "He had depth, foreign reporting experience, endless excitement about the news, and an irresistible irreverence.

A call, a note, a compliment from Walter was pretty much the Nobel Prize for a young reporter. I am so lucky to know what it was to be part of the Cronkite team." Play null "There never was and there never will be another Walter Cronkite," said ABC News anchor Barbara Walters. "We trusted him and that trust was well founded. He was also a jolly and supportive friend. He will be missed by each of us individually who knew him and by the whole country who loved him." Cronkite's clout at his peak was illustrated by President Lyndon Johnson's dismay when Cronkite returned from a trip to Vietnam in 1968 and reported that the U.S. was losing the war. "If I've lost Cronkite, I've lost middle America," a rattled LBJ was reported to have said. The anchorman with his trademark avuncular delivery also spoke for America when he delivered the grim news that President Kennedy had died of his wounds. Nearly overcome with emotion, Cronkite paused and took off his glasses while he composed himself.

Play null Cronkite's legacy of being the authoritative voice of news is still heard each night when CBS News uses a recording of Cronkite to introduce CBS Evening News With Katie Couric. Born Nov. 4, 1916, in St. Joseph, Mo., Cronkite was the son of a dentist who moved the family to Houston. He got an early start in journalism. After graduating from Houston's San Jacinto High School, he enrolled at the University of Texas . The natural newsman, however, was soon spending more time filing stories for his college and local newspapers and area radio stations than attending classes. After two years in college, Cronkite left school in 1935 to become a full-time reporter for the Houston Post. Within a year, the young Cronkite began working as a correspondent for United Press International (UPI). Cronkite often said he was inspired by Texas newspaperman Gordon Kent Shearer, who served as bureau chief for UPI in Austin. During World War II, Cronkite traveled to Europe to cover fighting from the front lines.

As a war correspondent, Cronkite earned a reputation as a courageous and tireless reporter, parachuting into Holland with the 101st Airborne Division and talking to soldiers at the Battle of the Bulge. TV Legend After the war, Cronkite stayed with UPI, reporting from Europe, the Soviet Union and Washington, D.C. Starting in 1950, Cronkite began work in television journalism at CBS News. His first network jobs were for shows including "The Week in Review" and "You Are There," a show that presented imaginary interviews with historical figures such as Julius Caesar and Joan of Arc. Cronkite became one of the original creators of "CBS Evening News" and anchored the show's first 30-minute broadcast, featuring an interview with President Kennedy. Cronkite's levelheaded and assuring delivery carried American viewers through the tumultuous events of the 1960s, including the assassinations of President Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr., and coverage of the Vietnam War. Many credit Cronkite with helping turn U.S.

sentiment against involvement in Vietnam after a special 1968 broadcast during which he candidly reported that America was fighting a losing effort. Cronkite on Journalism Cronkite often talked about the emotion involved in covering news events, particularly his announcement of Kennedy's death, saying in 2001 : "It was not until I had to say that the president was dead that it hit me the enormity of what I was reporting. ... I don't blame anybody for showing emotion on the air. I don't think I would trust a reporter, male or female, who didn't show any emotion." Cronkite's passionate interest in the space program following the 1969 Apollo moon landing also bolstered NASA's public relations efforts to support its explorations. Cronkite said the moon landing was the favorite of his career. "The successful landing on the moon, very probably, is the best story," he said in an interview with CNN's Larry King in 2002. "I do think that the success, although still not complete ... in the recognition of equal rights ...

to all Americans, regardless of color, creed and so forth, was also one of the best stories we've had to report." Cronkite had his share of controversy. In 1976, another TV newsman reported that he saw Cronkite's name on the alleged White House list of journalists who had worked for the CIA. An angry Cronkite demanded then-CIA director George H.W. Bush disclose which journalists actually had been CIA agents, essentially learning that two former CBS correspondents worked for the CIA. Cronkite also cited lack of accountability and corporate ownership as a problem in modern-day journalism. "I think the concern today is that the ownership of the networks, it does not have the background of clear-cut responsibility in broadcasting that the pioneers had. [I]t's not the fault of anybody in particular, except they've come along in the second and third generation when that responsibility has not been pounded into them as it was with the pioneers," Cronkite said on PBS's "Frontline" in 1999. "[T]heir thinking is, 'How do you maximize profit.' You do it by entertainment, primarily.

News is hanging in there still but, unfortunately, as a profit center." Journalism Role Model Cronkite retired from CBS in 1981, and that year he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Jimmy Carter. Despite stepping down as anchorman, Cronkite remained a well-regarded presence in the news business until late in his life. The journalist hosted special broadcasts including "Why in the World?" for the Public Broadcasting System and CBS' Universe. In 1996, Cronkite published a memoir, "A Reporter's Life," which detailed his career starting as a young wire reporter until his days at CBS News. The book is now seen as a valuable learning tool for young reporters. In 2004, he wrapped up a yearlong stint writing a newspaper column for King Features Syndicate. Reflecting on his decades-long tenure as CBS' anchorman, he said the work was rewarding but "not entirely satisfactory" because the time limitations of network news rarely allowed in-depth reporting of stories. Cronkite was almost universally known and broadly admired. In a Roper poll in 1975, 93 percent of Americans correctly identified his profession; that's almost everyone.

In a Harris poll in 1981, 50 percent identified him as their favorite news anchor, out of seven listed by name; the next closest [John Chancellor] was at 12 percent. In the same poll, anywhere from 81 to 86 percent rated him positively as "somebody you can really trust," as "really caring" about humankind, for balanced reporting overall, and specifically for his coverage of elections and the space program. Although Cronkite was never hailed as a lofty intellectual, he was highly respected for his trust in the public to glean its own opinions from accurate, objective reporting. For years, Cronkite expressed this philosophy following every CBS evening broadcast with his closing words that became his trademark, "And that's the way it is." And at the end of his career in 1985, 84 percent in a Roper poll said he'd done an excellent or good job as CBS' longstanding anchor. Cronkite wrote a total of seven books, and won numerous awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1981 and Library of Congress "Living Legend" award in 2000.

He was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1985. In 1984, Arizona State University named its journalism school after the former anchor . Cronkite's wife of 65 years, Betsy, died in 2005. He is survived by their three children and several grandchildren. ABC News' Gary Langer contributed to this report. 0 Shares Walter Cronkite, 1916-2009: A Trusted TV Newsman Walter Cronkite, 1916-2009: A Trusted TV Newsman September 10, 2011 Former CBS anchorman Walter Cronkite poses near space memorabilia in his New York office, 1995 Share STEVE EMBER: I'm Steve Ember. SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: And I'm Shirley Griffith with PEOPLE IN AMERICA in VOA Special English. WALTER CRONKITE: "And that's the way it is ... And that's the way it is ..." STEVE EMBER: For almost twenty years, that was how Walter Cronkite would end his newscasts. Americans all knew him. So did many world leaders.

Today's news anchors could only hope for such recognition. He was often called the most trusted man in America. He anchored the "CBS Evening News" until nineteen eighty-one. The sixties and seventies produced more than enough stories to fill a daily newscast. Those were years of social change and civil rights protests. Years that saw John Kennedy, his brother Robert and Martin Luther King all murdered, the war in Southeast Asia expand, a president resign. Years of worry that the same rockets that could take people to the moon could also bring nuclear war to Earth. And years when most of us still thought of a "mouse" as a small creature. Yet smart minds were thinking up the technology behind today's computers and the Internet. SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: Walter Cronkite brought it all home each evening, Monday through Friday. As President Barack Obama said in a statement: "He was there through wars and riots, marches and milestones, calmly telling us what we needed to know." And when the anchorman was not in front of the camera, there was a good chance he was on his boat. He went sailing up until almost his final days. He died on July seventeenth, two thousand nine, at the age of ninety-two.

(MUSIC) Famed CBS News anchor Walter Cronkite was known as the 'most trusted man in America' STEVE EMBER: Walter Cronkite was born on November fourth, nineteen sixteen, in Saint Joseph, Missouri. His father was a dentist, his mother a housewife. With young Walter, the family moved from the Midwest to Texas. He worked on his high school newspaper and later left the University of Texas at Austin to become a journalist. He was a newspaper and radio reporter and sports announcer. In nineteen forty he married Mary Elizabeth Maxwell, known as Betsy. They had three children and were together for nearly sixty-five years, until Betsy died in two thousand five. SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: As a young reporter, Walter Cronkite covered World War Two. He worked for United Press, the wire service which later became United Press International. He landed in Holland with American soldiers in a glider. And he was in a military plane overhead as Allied forces stormed the beach at Normandy, France. It was June sixth, nineteen forty-four, the start of the Allied invasion of Europe, the final push to defeat Nazi Germany.

Later, Walter Cronkite reported on the trials of Nazi war criminals at Nuremburg, Germany. STEVE EMBER: One day during the war, the famous journalist Edward R. Murrow offered him a job. It was a chance to report for a major television network, CBS, the Columbia Broadcasting System. Yet TV was still young then. Walter Cronkite decided to stay where he was. United Press raised his pay and later made him its chief in Moscow. But in nineteen fifty he accepted another offer and went to work for CBS. One of his early programs was a history show where he questioned actors playing people like Aristotle and Joan of Arc. But he was a serious newsman, and in nineteen fifty-two he led CBS' coverage of the national political conventions. They were the first to be televised coast to coast. SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: Ten years later, on April sixteenth, nineteen sixty-two, he became anchor of the "CBS Evening News." The program was only fifteen minutes long then. It took him two years to get his wish to extend it to thirty minutes. He also became managing editor, which expanded his influence over the program.

WALTER CRONKITE: "I participate very directly in the entire process -- in the decision of what stories we cover, in the decision on how we're covering them, what length of time we're going to give to them. It's a continuing process. I write part of the broadcast. Every bit of copy that goes on the broadcast passes through my hands. I edit every word that I say, I say no words that have not gone through my hand, many of them my own." Walter Cronkite met some of the most important people of his time. This was the time of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. In one interview, though, he asked President John F. Kennedy about another conflict that was growing then.

WALTER CRONKITE: "Mister President, the only hot war we've got running at the moment is of course the one in Vietnam." Legendary newscaster Walter Cronkite gives his wife Betsy a kiss as they pose for photographers at the 55th annual Primetime Emmy Awards JOHN KENNEDY: "I don't think that, uh, unless a greater effort is made by the government to win popular support, that the war can be won out there." STEVE EMBER: Americans would come to find truth in Kennedy's words. But, just two months after that interview, shots were fired at his open-top car. As we will hear later, Walter Cronkite had the sad duty of reporting that the young president was dead. Happier moments came as he reported on the American space program. In July of nineteen sixty-nine he was almost speechless when Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk on the moon. WALTER CRONKITE: "Oh, boy! Whew! Boy!" SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: Walter Cronkite rarely expressed his own opinions. That was not a reporter's job.

But in the late sixties he went to report on the war to prevent a communist takeover of South Vietnam. President Lyndon Johnson and his advisers kept telling Americans that the United States was making progress. Walter Cronkite went to see for himself. Then, in a commentary in February of nineteen sixty-eight, he said the war seemed unwinnable. WALTER CRONKITE: "It is increasingly clear to this reporter that the only rational way out then will be to negotiate." SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: Some people denounced him and questioned his loyalty. Others praised him for "speaking truth to power," as some might say. Several weeks later, Lyndon Johnson surprised Americans and announced that he would not seek re-election. The unpopular war had cost him support. STEVE EMBER: It was Richard Nixon who brought home most of the troops before South Vietnam fell to the north in nineteen seventy-five. But it was also Nixon who became the first and only American president to resign. Americans learned from the press that there was political corruption in his administration. Night after night, millions turned to Walter Cronkite for the latest developments. There were other anchors and other networks.

But people thought of him like family -- "Uncle Walter." He anchored the "CBS Evening News" for nineteen years. He was sixty-four when he stepped down on March sixth, nineteen eighty-one. But he explained that he was not leaving the network. WALTER CRONKITE: "Old anchormen, you see, don't fade away; they just keep coming back for more. And that's the way it is. Friday, March sixth, nineteen eighty-one." SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: Now, Steve Ember looks back with a personal story about Walter Cronkite. STEVE EMBER: I remember the afternoon of November twenty-second, nineteen sixty-three. I was a first-year student at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, and was relaxing between classes at the student union building. A TV was on. My eyes were elsewhere, but my ear was caught by the unmistakable voice of Walter Cronkite. WALTER CRONKITE: "A bulletin from CBS News. In Dallas Texas, three shots were fired at President Kennedy's motorcade in downtown Dallas.

The first reports say that President Kennedy has been seriously wounded by this shooting." The first bulletins coming in from Dallas were read by Cronkite over the CBS News "bulletin" slide. WALTER CRONKITE: "More details just arrived. President Kennedy shot today, just as his motorcade left downtown Dallas. Missus Kennedy jumped up and grabbed Mister Kennedy. She called 'Oh, no!'" Before long, though, there were pictures, with Cronkite at his desk in the CBS newsroom in New York. President Clinton speaks during an address before the Conference on Free Television and Political Reform in Washington. Walter Cronkite served as chairman for the Free TV for Straight Talk Coalition For so many of us, the presidency of J.F.K. represented a time of promise. "This could not be happening" was the sentiment expressed as a growing crowd gathered around that black-and-white TV set. And Walter Cronkite, in measured tones, informed us that yes it was. What I'll always remember was seeing him, about an hour later, momentarily take off his thick dark rimmed glasses, and announce: WALTER CRONKITE: "From Dallas, Texas, the flash, apparently official, President Kennedy died at one p.m.

Central Standard Time, two o'clock Eastern Standard Time, some thirty-eight minutes ago." You could see the flash of emotion as Cronkite removed and replaced his glasses and regained his composure. WALTER CRONKITE: "Vice President Lyndon Johnson has left the hospital in Dallas, but we do not know to where he has proceeded. Presumably, he will be taking the oath of office shortly, and become the thirty-sixth president of the United States." But going beyond this trusted anchor's solid presence in delivering such news, you have to know something about television news in that era. There wasn't the clutter of crawls, flashing graphics or other moving "stuff" that we see today. There was Walter Cronkite in shirtsleeves, with a microphone in front of him. That was it -- nothing to distract the senses from the message. It was up close, and very personal. It was not long after the Kennedy assassination that I actually got to meet Mister Cronkite. He was anchoring live coverage of the nineteen sixty-four Maryland Democratic primary election, originating in Baltimore. I was hired in a minor role on the CBS production team for that night's broadcast.

I can't say I remember all that much about the experience, other than it being very fast-paced. But what I do remember was, at the end of that long, continuous coverage -- it must have been about two a.m. -- Cronkite sat down briefly with us production functionaries to chat. I could not begin to tell you what we spoke about. It was enough to be in the presence of this great anchor I so admired, and to realize he was not above having a beer at the end of a very long broadcast with low-level support people. That was the sort of thing that made a young man with broadcasting stars in his eyes ... glow in the dark. I'm Steve Ember. SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: And I'm Shirley Griffith. Our program was written by Jerilyn Watson and produced by Dana Demange. You can find transcripts, MP3s and podcasts of our programs at voaspecialenglish.com. Join us again next week for PEOPLE IN AMERICA in VOA Special English.

Friends, colleagues honor Walter Cronkite - CNN.com Friends, colleagues honor Walter Cronkite Story Highlights NEW: "He always wanted to know everything about everything," Bob Schieffer says Presidents, network news stars gather to honor newsman Cronkite, "the most trusted man in America," died in July at age 92 Cronkite was "a force for good in the world," says old friend Andy Rooney VIDEO NEW YORK (CNN) -- Friends and colleagues of legendary CBS anchorman Walter Cronkite gathered Wednesday in New York's Lincoln Center to remember "the most trusted man in America." Newsman Walter Cronkite, in a 2007 photo, was honored at a memorial service in New York on Wednesday. "He was a great anchorman in the news business, because his greatest contribution was not his knowledge or his expertise -- as great as those were -- it was his steady holding to what was most important," said his colleague and longtime friend Andy Rooney, who addressed the crowd in a recorded video from behind his well-known desk. "If it can be said about any individual in our business that he's been a force for good in the world, Walter Cronkite was that person," Rooney said.

Cronkite died July 17 at the age of 92. He anchored the "CBS Evening News" from 1962 until 1981. "I thought that he had the most trusted news program because he had an inquiring mind and a caring heart and a careful devotion to the facts," former President Clinton said. He said he became friends with Cronkite years after he, as a youth, had watched the venerable anchor. "I just wound up being crazy about the guy for reasons that had nothing to do with all of the things we are here honoring about today," he said. Watch Clinton share memories of Cronkite » Tom Brokaw, the former NBC host, remembered a man with a big heart for the news and an equally big heart for his friends. The former anchor recalled a moment when he had interviewed Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev. "Immodestly, it was a big get, and I was concerned about how it would be received," he said.

"As soon as the prime time hour ended, the phone rang, and the first call, a voice said, 'Well, that was magnificent.' "In my anxiety, I didn't immediately recognize the voice," Brokaw said. "I said, 'Who is this?' There was a roar of laughter at the other end, and the familiar voice continued, 'Who is this? It's Walter Cronkite, for God's sakes, how soon they forget.' " President Obama, who hadn't known Cronkite personally, said the newsman "was a voice of certainty in a world that was growing more and more uncertain." "Like all of you, I have benefited as a citizen from his dogged pursuit of the truth, his passionate defense of objective reporting and his view that journalism is more than just a profession," President Obama told the crowd. "It is a public good, vital to our democracy. "Walter wasn't afraid to rattle the high and the mighty," he said. Don't Miss "It may have seemed inevitable that he was named the most trusted man in America ... [but] when he was told of this extraordinary honor ... he naturally downplayed it by saying the people had not called his wife," Obama said.

The memorial included performances by Jimmy Buffett, Mickey Hart and Wynton Marsalis. Bob Schieffer, the host of CBS' "Face the Nation," remembered the late anchor as a voraciously curious man. "He always wanted to know everything about everything, and he wanted to know it before everyone else knew it," he said. Schieffer said Cronkite often asked difficult questions right before 6:30 p.m., when the news was scheduled to begin. "Between 6:10 and 6:30, here are some of the questions that Walter actually asked: How much oil is there in the world? In Poland, do they call him Father Christmas or Santa Claus? And then my all-time personal favorite: How long is Greenland?" Schieffer said, drawing laughter from the audience. "Walter Cronkite loved the news, and we loved Walter Cronkite for it," he said. "What a man." Cronkite's career spanned much of the 20th century, as well as the first decade of the 21st. The native of St.

Joseph, Missouri, broke in as a newspaper journalist while in college, switched over to radio announcing in 1935, joined the United Press wire service by the end of the decade and jumped to CBS and its nascent television news division in 1950. He also made his mark as an Internet contributor in his later years with a handful of columns for the Huffington Post. Cronkite covered World War II's Battle of the Bulge, the Nuremberg trials, several presidential elections, moon landings, the assassination of President Kennedy and the Watergate scandal of President Nixon's administration. At times he even made news himself. A 1977 question to then-Egyptian President Anwar Sadat about Sadat's intent to go to Israel -- at the time considered a nonstarter because of the lack of a treaty between the two countries -- received a surprising "yes" from the Egyptian leader. Soon after, Sadat traveled to Jerusalem, a trip that eventually led to the Camp David Accords, which included a peace deal between Israel and Egypt. At his height of influence as CBS anchorman, Cronkite's judgment was believed so important it could affect even presidents.

In early 1968, after the Tet Offensive, Cronkite traveled to Vietnam and gave a critical editorial calling the Vietnam War "mired in stalemate." Noting Cronkite's commentary, President Lyndon Johnson reportedly said, "If I've lost Cronkite, I've lost Middle America." Less than two months later, Johnson announced that he would not seek re-election. Cronkite's own name was often floated as a presidential possibility -- wishful thinking on the part of some pundits, because Cronkite had little desire to enter politics once he'd become a successful anchorman. He became, however, an outspoken critic of what he saw as flaws in government and broadcast journalism. He disliked the current war in Iraq, telling Esquire magazine, "Indeed, we are in another Vietnam. Almost play by play. It's a terrible mistake that we're in Iraq, and it's a terrible mistake to insist on staying there." And he disliked the corporatization of news.

"The nation whose population depends on the explosively compressed headline service of television news can expect to be exploited by the demagogues and dictators who prey upon the semi-informed," he wrote in his 1996 memoir, "A Reporter's Life." Legendary US TV news anchor Walter Cronkite dies | The Independent Legendary US TV news anchor Walter Cronkite dies Saturday 18 July 2009 06:41 BST Click to follow The Independent US Former CBS News anchor Walter Cronkite, whose authoritative delivery of news events from the John F. Kennedy assassination to the Apollo moon landing and Vietnam War, made him "the most trusted man in America," died yesterday at age 92. Cronkite died in New York after an illness, CBS said. His family issued a statement weeks ago that he had been suffering for some years with cerebrovascular disease and was not expected to recuperate. His death coincided with the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission, which took the first astronauts to the moon. Cronkite was a passionate chronicler of the space program and anniversary celebrations of Apollo 11 have featured frequent rebroadcasts of his coverage of the historic moon landing.

"He was the consummate television newsman," said Don Hewitt, a longtime CBS News executive and creator of the long-running "60 Minutes" news program. "He had all the credentials to be a writer, an editor, a broadcaster. There was only one Walter Cronkite and there may never be another one." President Barack Obama said Cronkite "was someone we could trust to guide us through the most important issues of the day; a voice of certainty in an uncertain world. He was family. He invited us to believe in him, and he never let us down." Former President George W. Bush called Cronkite "an icon of American journalism." For nearly 20 years, millions of Americans tuned in to the "CBS Evening News" to hear the day's major events as reported by Cronkite, whose avuncular manner and deep voice made his show the top-rated news program from 1969 until he retired in 1981 and was replaced by Dan Rather. Cronkite's demeanor inspired the nickname "Uncle Walter" and when he signed off his newscasts by saying, "And that's the way it is," few doubted him.

During his years at the CBS anchor desk, Cronkite was regularly voted the "most trusted man in America" in opinion polls. Senator Robert Kennedy was so impressed he asked Cronkite to run for public office. "I don't understand my impact or success," Cronkite once said. "That my delivery is straight, even dull at times, is probably a valid criticism. But I built my reputation on honest, straightforward reporting. To do anything else would be phony." Writing in a blog on in March 2006, Cronkite explained his signature "the way it is" signoff by saying, "To me, that encapsulates the newsman's highest ideal: to report the facts as he sees them, without regard for the consequences or controversy that may ensue." Born Nov. 4, 1916, in St. Joseph, Missouri, Walter Leland Cronkite Jr. became a United Press correspondent in 1939. He was one of the first journalists accredited to American forces after the United States entered World War Two in 1941.

Cronkite flew on the first bombing raids over Germany, parachuting into the Netherlands with the 101st Airborne Division and landing with Allied troops at Normandy, but he never thought himself brave in World War Two. "Personally, I feel I was an overweening coward in the war," he once said. "I was scared to death all the time. I did everything possible to avoid getting into combat." Cronkite joined CBS News in 1950 and hosted public affairs programs. In 1953, he began narrating the long-running "You Are There" series, which recreated historical events. He took over the CBS anchor chair on April 16, 1962, and his stirring reports on issues from the space program to the Vietnam War often had as much impact as the events themselves. Cronkite grew teary and his voice cracked as he told the nation in 1963 that President Kennedy had been assassinated in Dallas.

After watching the bloody 1968 Tet Offensive in Vietnam, a disillusioned Cronkite told his viewers: "We have been too often disappointed by the optimism of American leaders, both in Vietnam and in Washington, to have faith any longer in the silver linings they find in the darkest clouds. ... It seems now more than ever that the bloody experience of Vietnam is to end in stalemate." Cronkite said in 2006 the Tet report was his favorite story and many believe it led President Lyndon Johnson not to seek re-election in 1968. Johnson was quoted as saying, "If I've lost Cronkite, I've lost middle America." When he retired from the anchor job, Cronkite had expected to still get special assignments and projects from CBS and was disappointed it did not work out that way. Cronkite, who was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1981, spent his later years making documentaries, writing books, giving speeches and exercising his passion for sailing. He also campaigned against global warming and spoke out against the Iraq war. Cronkite's wife of 64 years, Betsy, died in 2005 from cancer.

They had three children. More about: Privacy policy | More Newsletters Getty Images A Time Magazine poll shows that Americans trust Jon Stewart's news delivery more than the traditional outlets -- like CBS, the journalistic home of the late Walter Cronkite. Journalism is in crisis. Jon Stewart , Comedy Central 's star faux newsman, has been voted America's most trusted newscaster according to a poll conducted by Time Magazine. Walter Cronkite Remembered Stewart, best known for sparing few public figures in his hilarious and pointed rants, beat out the traditional networks top news-persons, winning 44 percent of a nationwide poll. NBC's Brian Williams claimed the second spot with 29 percent. ABC's Charlie Gibson was third with 19 percent and CBS 's Katie Couric won a paltry 7 percent -- an ironic figure considering former CBS anchorman Walter Cronkite defined the role of newsreader and was known as "The Most Trusted Man in America." Top Entertainment Photos Cronkite, an icon of American journalism died last week at 92. He was a reporter with impeccable credentials, covering war and politics for years before taking the anchor chair and presided over the networks coverage of such earth-shaking events as John F.

Kennedy's assassination and NASA's first launch into space. Stewart started his career in stand-up comedy and bit film roles before becoming an MTV regular. He shot to stardom on Comedy Central with the " Daily Show " where he landed interviews with top politicians and celebrities and brought sharp political satire to a young disengaged audience. A major feature of the "Daily Show" is Stewart's panning of traditional news outlets and often courageous commentary on significant news events. Published at 3:16 PM PDT on Jul 22, 2009 | Updated at 7:01 PM PDT on Jul 28, 2009 Former CBS anchor 'Uncle Walter' Cronkite dead at 92 - CNN.com Former CBS anchor 'Uncle Walter' Cronkite dead at 92 Story Highlights "He invited us to believe in him ...

he never let us down," President Obama says "We loved him," says Mike Wallace, "60 Minutes" correspondent emeritus Cronkite's career spanned most of the 20th century, crossed all mediums He covered Nuremberg trials, presidential elections, JFK's death, moon landings By Todd Leopold CNN (CNN) -- Walter Cronkite, the CBS anchorman known as "Uncle Walter" for his easygoing, measured delivery and "the most trusted man in America" for his rectitude and gravitas, died Friday night in his New York home, CBS reported. Walter Cronkite, former CBS anchor known as "Uncle Walter," has died. more photos » Cronkite was 92. "Walter was always more than just an anchor. He was someone we could trust to guide us through the most important issues of the day; a voice of certainty in an uncertain world," President Obama said in a statement Friday. "He was family. He invited us to believe in him, and he never let us down.

This country has lost an icon and a dear friend, and he will be truly missed." His career spanned much of the 20th century, as well as the first decade of the 21st. See Cronkite's life in photos » The native of St. Joseph, Missouri, broke in as a newspaper journalist while in college, switched over to radio announcing in 1935, joined the United Press wire service by the end of the decade and jumped to CBS and its nascent television news division in 1950. iReport.com: Share your memories of Cronkite He also made his mark as an Internet contributor in his later years with a handful of columns for the Huffington Post. "He was the consummate television newsman," Don Hewitt, the onetime executive producer of the "CBS Evening News," told CNN. "He had all the credentials to be a writer, an editor, a broadcaster.

There was only one Walter Cronkite, and there may never be another one." Watch colleagues explain why Cronkite was "the most trusted man in America" » Cronkite covered World War II's Battle of the Bulge, the Nuremberg trials, several presidential elections, moon landings, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and the Watergate scandal of President Richard Nixon's administration. At times he even made news: A 1977 question to then-Egyptian President Anwar Sadat about Sadat's intent to go to Israel -- at the time considered a nonstarter because of the lack of a treaty between the two countries -- received a surprising "yes" from the Egyptian leader. Soon after, Sadat traveled to Jerusalem, a trip that eventually led to the Camp David Accords, which included a peace deal between Israel and Egypt. At his height of influence as CBS anchorman, Cronkite's judgment was believed so important it could affect even presidents.

In early 1968, after the Tet Offensive, Cronkite traveled to Vietnam and gave a critical editorial calling the Vietnam War "mired in stalemate." Noting Cronkite's commentary, President Lyndon Johnson reportedly said, "If I've lost Cronkite, I've lost Middle America." Johnson announced he would not seek re-election less than two months later. Don't Miss Life.com: Remembering Walter Cronkite Cronkite's own name was often floated as a presidential possibility -- wishful thinking on the part of some pundits, because Cronkite had little desire to enter politics once he'd become a successful anchorman. He became, however, an outspoken critic of what he saw as flaws in government and broadcast journalism. He disliked the current war in Iraq, telling Esquire magazine, "Indeed, we are in another Vietnam. Almost play by play. It's a terrible mistake that we're in Iraq, and it's a terrible mistake to insist on staying there." And he disliked the corporatization of news.

"The nation whose population depends on the explosively compressed headline service of television news can expect to be exploited by the demagogues and dictators who prey upon the semi-informed," he wrote in his 1996 memoir, "A Reporter's Life." In a 2005 interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer, he observed, "The misfortune with broadcasting today is that all -- even including your network, which is dedicated to the news -- do not take enough time to give us all of the facts and the background." Watch CNN's John King reflect on Cronkite's career » "Walter was truly the father of television news. The trust that viewers placed in him was based on the recognition of his fairness, honesty and strict objectivity," said "60 Minutes" correspondent Morley Safer in a statement. "And of course, his long experience as a shoe-leather reporter covering everything from local politics to World War II and its aftermath in the Soviet Union." Mike Wallace, "60 Minutes" correspondent emeritus, said simply: "We were proud to work with him -- for him -- we loved him." Premiere journalist of 20th century is born Walter Leland Cronkite Jr. was born in St.

Joseph, Missouri, on November 4, 1916. His father was a dentist, and Cronkite, who admired the man greatly, grew his famous mustache in emulation of his father. The family moved to Kansas City soon after, and when he was 10, moved again to Houston, Texas. He remembered being attached to news at an early age, from delivering newspapers to starting a high school publication. Cronkite attended the University of Texas in Austin, but dropped out of college in 1935 after gaining a full-time job as a newspaper reporter. He moved to Kansas City for a radio job at KCMO, where he was famed for his broadcasts of football game recreations. He would use wire reports about football games to broadcast what sounded like live, play-by-play commentary on the match. It was in Kansas City that he also met his future wife, Betsy Maxwell, in the summer of 1936. The two married in 1940 and enjoyed almost 65 years of marriage. Betsy Cronkite died in 2005. "She was one of the most beautiful people I ever saw in my life," he said in a PBS special.

"I saw her for the first time ... coming down the hall ... and I fell in love before I ever knew her name, or what she did, or if I whether I would ever see her again in life." Cronkite had a short stint with the United Press in 1937 -- "the KCMO experience," he wrote in "A Reporter's Life," "had cooled any thought I had that radio might be an interesting medium in which to practice journalism" -- but nevertheless, he joined an Oklahoma City station within a year to broadcast University of Oklahoma football games. After a detour with Braniff Airlines, he went back to the UP and the newspaper reporting he loved. In 1942, after the United States' entry into World War II, he became a war correspondent, part of an elite corps of correspondents dubbed "the Writing 69th." As part of that unit, he accompanied a bomber on D-Day (the mission was thwarted by cloud cover) and flew on a number of dangerous sorties. After the war, he became the chief UP correspondent at the Nuremberg Trials for war crimes. He was widely admired; CBS tried to lure him into its Edward R.

Murrow-led fold during the war, but Cronkite preferred being a newspaperman. Watch Cronkite remember WWII heroes » Cronkite opened UP's Moscow, Russia, bureau after the war, but when the wire service tightened up on his salary in 1948, he decided to go back to radio at the urging of a friend who owned a radio station. He was the Washington correspondent for a radio group. Two years later, CBS came calling again, and this time Cronkite took the network up on its offer. Into television news But now the medium was television. Cronkite became the anchor of WTOP-TV, armed with little more than wire reports and his own skills, he recalled in his memoir. Two years later, he broke into the national consciousness with his work at the 1952 political conventions, serving as CBS' "anchorman" -- a word coined to describe Cronkite's role as point person for the network's correspondents. Though there's some dispute as to who coined the word, Cronkite's influence was noted: in Sweden at the time, he recalled, anchormen were called "cronkiters." But CBS News had a deep bench.

The division was led by Murrow throughout the 1950s, and a number of other famous names -- Eric Sevareid, Douglas Edwards, Howard K. Smith -- were part of the team. Cronkite distinguished himself as CBS' lead space reporter as the United States and Soviet Union launched the space race. He never lost his taste for the beat, working with CNN on shuttle launches as recently as John Glenn's return mission in 1998. In 1962, Cronkite took over as anchor of CBS' "Evening News" from Edwards. Television news was still in its infancy; the broadcast Cronkite delivered was 15 minutes long, dependent on sometimes day-old film, and in black and white. But with the Cold War, civil rights movement and the increasing rapidity of communications, the news business was changing. On September 2, 1963 -- Labor Day -- Cronkite's broadcast became a half-hour; the centerpiece was an extended interview with President John F. Kennedy. Watch Cronkite relive the day Kennedy was shot » A little less than three months later, Kennedy was assassinated.

Cronkite's coverage of that event, including a rare display of emotion on camera -- as he broadcast the news of Kennedy's death from the CBS newsroom -- helped cement his status. However, for the first half of the 1960s, Cronkite's broadcast was No. 2 to NBC's "Huntley-Brinkley Report," hosted by Chet Huntley and David Brinkley. It wasn't until later in the decade that Cronkite and CBS overtook the NBC team for the No. 1 position, a mark it would hold for the rest of Cronkite's 19-year tenure. "Uncle Walter" increasingly became the most-admired figure in the news media. His sign-off, "And that's the way it is," became a national catch-phrase. His coverage of moon missions was legendary, with his ability to anchor, unperturbed, for hour upon hour, earning him the affectionate nickname "Old Iron Pants." Another rare example of Cronkite showing emotion on air was the joy he expressed at Apollo 11's 1969 moon landing: "Man on the moon!" he exulted, rubbing his hands in delight.

'Most trusted man in America' In 1972, a poll named him "the most trusted man in America." The anchorman had been one of the few TV journalists to note the import of Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein's reporting on Watergate and helped prompt CBS into following the story aggressively. The network broadcast two extended segments on the affair just before the 1972 election. Cronkite was helped immensely by CBS' then White House correspondent, Dan Rather, who became one of Nixon's least favorite reporters with his determined questioning at White House press conferences. Rather's and Cronkite's lives would cross again several years later. By the end of the 1970s, television news had become news itself, with Barbara Walters' million-dollar ABC contract in 1976 making headlines. The race to succeed Cronkite, who was nearing 65 and announced his forthcoming retirement in 1980, became a national focus. Watch CNN's John Roberts talk about Cronkite's influence on him » In the end, Rather won the battle to succeed Cronkite over Roger Mudd, who was Cronkite's regular fill-in.

Cronkite gave his last "Evening News" broadcast on March 6, 1981. His successor had a number of up-and-down years, which Cronkite watched from a distance. The two anchors were not "especially chummy," Cronkite once said. In his later years, Cronkite -- who became a CBS board member -- distinguished himself with various news specials, but was disappointed he wasn't allowed to take a greater role at CBS. "I want to say that probably 24 hours after I told CBS that I was stepping down at my 65th birthday, I was already regretting it. And I regretted it every day since," he once said. He had planned to do documentaries for the network, as well as continue his summer science series "Walter Cronkite's Universe," but the series was canceled in 1982, and CBS was devoting fewer resources to documentaries. He also stayed physically active, an energetic tennis player and sailor. Cronkite received dozens of awards during his life, including a number of Emmys and Peabodys.

In 1981, he was awarded the nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, by Jimmy Carter. He also played himself in movies and on TV, including memorable episodes of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and "Murphy Brown." But he never lost his zest for reporting, nor his opinions about the news media. His daughter, Kathy, played a Patty Hearst-like character in the scabrous 1976 movie "Network," a film Cronkite said "was all comedy" to him, though he shared beliefs in its message. He disparaged what he called "fluff" and constantly exhorted news departments to focus on hard news -- without opinion. "Our job is only to hold up the mirror -- to tell and show the public what has happened," he once said. Cronkite is survived by his three children, Nancy, Kathy and Walter III "Chip"; and four grandchildren. Walter Cronkite, Legendary Newsman Dies at Age 92 >> Four Winds 10 - Truth Winds More Photos TV Legend After the war, Cronkite stayed with UPI, reporting from Europe, the Soviet Union and Washington, D.C.

Starting in 1950, Cronkite began work in television journalism at CBS News. His first network jobs were for shows including "The Week in Review" and "You Are There," a show that presented imaginary interviews with historical figures such as Julius Caesar and Joan of Arc. Cronkite became one of the original creators of "CBS Evening News" and anchored the show's first 30-minute broadcast, featuring an interview with President Kennedy. Cronkite's levelheaded and assuring delivery carried American viewers through the tumultuous events of the 1960s, including the assassinations of President Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr., and coverage of the Vietnam War. Many credit Cronkite with helping turn U.S. sentiment against involvement in Vietnam after a special 1968 broadcast during which he candidly reported that America was fighting a losing effort. Cronkite on Journalism Cronkite often talked about the emotion involved in covering news events, particularly his announcement of Kennedy's death, saying in 2001 : "It was not until I had to say that the president was dead that it hit me the enormity of what I was reporting. ...

I don't blame anybody for showing emotion on the air. I don't think I would trust a reporter, male or female, who didn't show any emotion." Cronkite's passionate interest in the space program following the 1969 Apollo moon landing also bolstered NASA's public relations efforts to support its explorations. Cronkite said the moon landing was the favorite of his career. "The successful landing on the moon, very probably, is the best story," he said in an interview with CNN's Larry King in 2002. "I do think that the success, although still not complete ... in the recognition of equal rights ... to all Americans, regardless of color, creed and so forth, was also one of the best stories we've had to report." Cronkite had his share of controversy. In 1976, another TV newsman reported that he saw Cronkite's name on the alleged White House list of journalists who had worked for the CIA. An angry Cronkite demanded then-CIA director George H.W. Bush disclose which journalists actually had been CIA agents, essentially learning that two former CBS correspondents worked for the CIA.

Cronkite also cited lack of accountability and corporate ownership as a problem in modern-day journalism. "I think the concern today is that the ownership of the networks, it does not have the background of clear-cut responsibility in broadcasting that the pioneers had. [I]t's not the fault of anybody in particular, except they've come along in the second and third generation when that responsibility has not been pounded into them as it was with the pioneers," Cronkite said on PBS's "Frontline" in 1999. "[T]heir thinking is, 'How do you maximize profit.' You do it by entertainment, primarily. News is hanging in there still but, unfortunately, as a profit center." Journalism Role Model Cronkite retired from CBS in 1981, and that year he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Jimmy Carter. American journalist and TV news broadcaster Walter Cronkite anchors the news desk for the 'CBS Evening News,' 1969. (BS Photo Archive/Getty Images) More Photos Despite stepping down as anchorman, Cronkite remained a well-regarded presence in the news business until late in his life.

The journalist hosted special broadcasts including "Why in the World?" for the Public Broadcasting System and CBS' Universe. In 1996, Cronkite published a memoir, "A Reporter's Life," which detailed his career starting as a young wire reporter until his days at CBS News. The book is now seen as a valuable learning tool for young reporters. In 2004, he wrapped up a yearlong stint writing a newspaper column for King Features Syndicate. Reflecting on his decades-long tenure as CBS' anchorman, he said the work was rewarding but "not entirely satisfactory" because the time limitations of network news rarely allowed in-depth reporting of stories. Cronkite was almost universally known and broadly admired. In a Roper poll in 1975, 93 percent of Americans correctly identified his profession; that's almost everyone In a Harris poll in 1981, 50 percent identified him as their favorite news anchor, out of seven listed by name; the next closest [John Chancellor] was at 12 percent.

In the same poll, anywhere from 81 to 86 percent rated him positively as "somebody you can really trust," as "really caring" about humankind, for balanced reporting overall, and specifically for his coverage of elections and the space program. Although Cronkite was never hailed as a lofty intellectual, he was highly respected for his trust in the public to glean its own opinions from accurate, objective reporting. For years, Cronkite expressed this philosophy following every CBS evening broadcast with his closing words that became his trademark, "And that's the way it is." And at the end of his career in 1985, 84 percent in a Roper poll said he'd done an excellent or good job as CBS' longstanding anchor. Cronkite wrote a total of seven books, and won numerous awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1981 and Library of Congress "Living Legend" award in 2000. He was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1985. In 1984, Arizona State University named its journalism school after the former anchor .

Cronkite's wife of 65 years, Betsy, died in 2005. He is survived by their three children and several grandchildren. ABC News' Gary Langer contributed to this report. Cronkite Recalled as 'Gold Standard' for News - ABC News ABC News Cronkite Remembered as 'Gold Standard' for News By HUMA KHAN Email One day after legendary reporter and anchorman Walter Cronkite died , colleagues and admirers are mourning the loss of "the most trusted" voice that led America through 40 years of war and peace. President Obama reflected on Cronkite's work saying he set the standard for all other news anchors that followed. But Morley Safer of "60 Minutes," Cronkite's colleague at CBS News, remembered Cronkite for his curiosity. Play null "He loved people. Walter was a remarkable guy.

… That wasn't an act, believe me," Safer told ABC News' "Good Morning America." "He really was the just about the most curious man I've ever known: He wanted to know everything -- people's backgrounds, their education what they did for a living." "It was real interest; it was genuine engagement," Safer said. A private funeral service was scheduled for Thursday at St. Bartholomew's Church in Manhattan, according to Marlene Adler, his longtime chief of staff told the Associated Press. Adler said the Rev. William Tully will preside over the Episcopal service at the Park Avenue church, which the Cronkites attended for many years. A memorial is to be held within the next month in Avery Fisher Hall at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Adler said. "It will be a fitting tribute to Mr. Cronkite and the life he lived, the people he knew, the people who loved him and the people he admired," said Adler, who headed Cronkite's staff for the past 20 years.

Cronkite, who anchored the "CBS Evening News" from 1962 to 1981, died of cerebral vascular disease at 7:42 p.m. ET Friday in his New York City home surrounded by his family. She said he would be buried next to his late wife in Missouri, where the two first met. Cronkite, who was once voted the "most trusted man in America," was 92. At the end of his career in 1985, 84 percent in a Roper Poll said he'd done an excellent or good job as CBS' longstanding anchor. "Walter was always more than just an anchor," President Obama said Friday in a prepared statement. "He was someone we could trust to guide us through the most important issues of the day; a voice of certainty in an uncertain world. He was family. He invited us to believe in him, and he never let us down." Cronkite became best known on CBS News during the 1960s when he established the prominent role of the television news anchorman for the network's newly expanded evening news program.

In fact, as ABC's "World News'" Charles Gibson remembers, Cronkite was an anchor before television news had really defined the role. "They had to come up with some word for it, and so they called him the anchor and that term has stuck ever since," said Gibson. Cronkite was held in such esteem in broadcast journalism that his name became synonymous with "news anchor" around the world. In Sweden, anchors are known as Kronkiters, and in Holland they are Cronkiters. ABC News' own "Cronkiters" mourned the their fellow news anchor. "Walter Cronkite set an example for all broadcast journalism by simply doing his best to tell us the truth about things that matter, with courage and without partisanship," ABC News president David Westin said. "We will miss him, but will seek to keep his spirit alive by following his example." Cronkite's clout at his peak was illustrated by President Lyndon Johnson's dismay when Cronkite returned from a trip to Vietnam in 1968 and reported that the U.S. was losing the war. "If I've lost Cronkite, I've lost Middle America," a rattled LBJ was reported to have said.

Fellow CBS newsman Bob Schieffer said Cronkite was so reluctant to express an opinion that when he did, "it had enormous impact." "Walter thought the news came first. He didn't like anchorman antics. And he didn't like bells and whistles," said Schieffer. "He thought if you just presented news and did the best job you could do to get the story right that people would figure out what to do about it." Cronkite's legacy of being the authoritative voice of news is still heard each night when CBS News uses a recording of Cronkite to introduce CBS "Evening News With Katie Couric." Cronkite Becoming a Legend Born Nov. 4, 1916, in St. Joseph, Mo., Walter Leland Cronkite was the son of a dentist who moved the family to Houston. He got an early start in journalism. After graduating from Houston's San Jacinto High School, he enrolled at the University of Texas . The natural newsman, however, was soon spending more time filing stories for his college and local newspapers and area radio stations than attending classes.

After two years in college, Cronkite left school in 1935 to become a full-time reporter for the Houston Post. Within a year, the young Cronkite began working as a correspondent for United Press International (UPI). During World War II, Cronkite traveled to Europe to cover fighting from the front lines. As a war correspondent, Cronkite earned a reputation as a courageous and tireless reporter, parachuting into Holland with the 101st Airborne Division and talking to soldiers at the Battle of the Bulge. Cronkite's Move to TV After the war, Cronkite stayed with UPI, reporting from Europe, the Soviet Union and Washington, D.C. Starting in 1950, Cronkite began work in television journalism at CBS News. He became one of the original creators of "CBS Evening News" and anchored the show's first 30-minute broadcast, featuring an interview with President John F. Kennedy. Cronkite's levelheaded and assuring delivery carried American viewers through the tumultuous events of the 1960s, including the assassinations of President Kennedy, Robert F.

Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr., as well as coverage of the Vietnam War. ABC's Barbara Walters says Cronkite marks the end of a time when Americans had more trust in the news. "We are a lot more suspicious these days, perhaps we're more cynical, perhaps we're more sophisticated," said Walters. "But we don't have that same total trust that we did in Walter Cronkite." Not Always and Easy Road Cronkite had his share of controversy. In 1976, another TV newsman reported that he saw Cronkite's name on the alleged White House list of journalists who had worked for the CIA. He did not. An angry Cronkite demanded then-CIA director George H.W. Bush disclose which journalists actually had been CIA agents, essentially learning that two former CBS correspondents worked for the CIA. Cronkite also cited lack of accountability and corporate ownership as a problem in modern-day journalism. "I think the concern today is that the ownership of the networks, it does not have the background of clear-cut responsibility in broadcasting that the pioneers had.

It's not the fault of anybody in particular, except they've come along in the second and third generation when that responsibility has not been pounded into them as it was with the pioneers," Cronkite said on PBS' "Frontline" in 1999. "[T]heir thinking is, 'How do you maximize profit.' You do it by entertainment, primarily. News is hanging in there still but, unfortunately, as a profit center." Cronkite wrote a total of seven books, and won numerous awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1981 and Library of Congress Living Legend award in 2000. He was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1985. In 1984, Arizona State University named its journalism school after the former anchor . Cronkite's wife of 65 years, Betsy, died in 2005. He is survived by their three children and several grandchildren. ABC News' Gary Langer contributed to this report. 0 Shares

Question: What TV newsman, often voted the most trusted man in America, died in July 2009?
Answer: Walter Cronkite