CBS News Legendary Anchorman Walter Cronkite Dead at Age 92

News is out tonight that long-time CBS News Anchorman Walter Cronkite has died at the age of 92:

Walter Cronkite, an iconic CBS News journalist who defined the role of anchorman for a generation of television viewers, died Friday at the age of 92, his family said.

Mr. Cronkite anchored the “CBS Evening News” from 1962 to 1981, at a time when television became the dominant medium of the United States. He figuratively held the hand of the American public during the civil rights movement, the space race, the Vietnam war, and the impeachment of Richard Nixon. During his tenure, network newscasts were expanded to 30 minutes from 15.

“It is impossible to imagine CBS News, journalism or indeed America without Walter Cronkite,” Sean McManus, the president of CBS News, said in a statement. “More than just the best and most trusted anchor in history, he guided America through our crises, tragedies and also our victories and greatest moments.”

Mr. McManus added: “No matter what the news event was, Walter was always the consummate professional with an un-paralleled sense of compassion, integrity, humanity, warmth, and occasionally even humor. There will never be another figure in American history who will hold the position Walter held in our minds, our hearts and on the television. We were blessed to have this man in our lives and words cannot describe how much he will be missed by those of us at CBS News and by all of America." . . . . MORE

Cronkite was the news for several generations of Americans. It was a five-night a week tradition at my house to sit down and watch the CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite. In his later years, Cronkite revealed a very strong liberal bent, far more so than was obvious in his newscasts, although he certainly leaned toward the Democrats. But his face and voice will always be synonymous with the news. Below is video of one of his most famous moments, when he announced the death of President John F. Kennedy, on November 22, 1963: