Walter Leland Cronkite, Jr. (November 4, 1916 – July 17, 2009) was an American broadcast journalist, best known as anchorman for the CBS Evening News for 19 years (1962 – 1981). During the heyday of CBS News in the 1960’s and 1970’s, he was often cited as “the most trusted man in America,” after being so named in an opinion poll. He reported many events from 1937 to 1981, including bombings in World War ll; the Nuremberg trails; combat in the Vietnam War; Watergate; the Iran Crisis and the assassinations of President John F Kennedy, civil rights pioneer, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Beatles musician, John Lennon. He was also known for his extensive coverage of the U. S. space program, from Project Mercury to the Moon landing to the Space Shuttle.

He was born in St. Joseph, and died in New York City, New York at age 92.