Dan Rather Net Worth: Career, Books & Lifestyle

Dan Rather

Former national evening news anchor and American journalist Dan Rather’s net worth is a staggering $70 million. 

Dan began his work in Texas and rose to the national spotlight when his reporting during Hurricane Carla in September 1961 saved thousands of lives.

By layering a transparent map above a radar image of Hurricane Carla, he made the first radar weather report on the spur of the moment.

Dan successfully assisted in the safe evacuation of 350,000 people during his first national broadcast.

Dan Rather (Source: Esquire)

Similarly, Rather was promoted to CBS News and became the White House correspondent after reporting from Dallas on the day of Kennedy’s assassination.

Dan has covered Richard Nixon’s presidency, including his visit to China, the Watergate crisis, and his resignation.

Moreover, he became a CBS Evening News anchor, which he maintained for 24 years until the Killian papers incident in 2005.

Since 2018, Rather has started anchoring an online broadcast called “The News with Dan Rather” on YouTube.

Dan Rather | Quick Facts

To understand more about Dan Rather, let’s look at his quick facts.

Birth Name Daniel Irvin Rather Jr.
Professional Name Dan Rather
Nick Name Rather, Dan
Birth Date October 31, 1931 
Age 92 Years Old
Birth Place Wharton, Texas, USA
Weight 158.5 lbs. (72 kg)
Height 1.81 m (5 feet 11 inches)
Religion Christianity
Gender Male
Nationality American
Awards
  • Peabody (1975, 1976, 1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2004)
  • Paul White Award Radio Television Digital News Association (1997)
  • Emmy Trustees Award (2014)
Eye Color Dark Brown
Hair Color Dark Brown
Profession Journalist, News Presenter, Correspondent, Reporter
Father’s Name Daniel Irvin Rather Sr.
Mother’s Name Byrl Veda Page
Body Type Slim
Horoscope Scorpio
Ethnicity  English and Scottish descent
Sibling 2 (Donald Eugene Rather, Patricia Rather)
High School
  • Love Elementary School
  • Hamilton Middle School
  • John H. Reagan High School
College
  • Sam Houston State University
  • South Texas College of Law
Distinctive Features Cleft Chin, Sharp Features
Sexual Orientation Straight
Marital Status Married
Spouse Jean Goebel ​(M. 1957)
Children 2 (Danjack Rather, Robin Rather)
Active Since 1950-Present
Merch Signed Card, Signed Photo
Social Media FacebookTwitterInstagram
Last Update March 2024

Dan Rather | Net Worth and Income

Dan Rather’s net worth is a staggering $70 million as a talented news anchor, journalist, and media personality.

Rather has garnered huge wealth through his long career as a journalist and news anchor.

In 1980, Dan signed a long-term contract with CBS, which was estimated to be $800,000 a year. Later on, with an increase in fame, his salary was raised exponentially.

Rather was paid $6 million a year when he was fired at the end of his career from CBS.

Rather left “CBS Evening News” in 2005 as anchorman and executive editor but stayed with the network.

However, one year later, the channel announced that Rather’s contract would not be renewed, and he was subsequently terminated.

Rather sued CBS and Viacom for $70 million in 2007.

Dan accused the network and its owners and executives of using him as a “scapegoat” in the Killian case.

A New York state federal judge dismissed Rather’s case against CBS in 2009.

The New York Supreme Court rejected to revive Dan’s $70 million clear violation case against CBS Corp on January 12, 2010.

Moreover, in the USA, the average annual income for a Chief White House news reporter is $94,744. Since Rather was in the same position, he must have made a fortune.

Furthermore, Dan Rather has written several books in his career. A writer can make more than $50,000 in a year through sales and royalties.

Hence, he must have earned quite a sum of money with the publication of more than eight books.

Dan Rather Net Worth in Different Currencies

Let’s look into Dan Rather’s net worth in different currencies, including the cryptocurrency Bitcoin.

Currency Net Worth
Euro € 63,686,000
Pound Sterling £ 52,991,750
Australian Dollar A$ 93,362,570
Canadian Dollar C$ 87,874,850
Indian Rupee ₹ 5,341,560,000
Bitcoin ฿ 1627.82

Dan Rather | Houses and Cars 

Houses

As of March 2024, Dan Rather’s net worth is $70 million.

He owns a home in Austin, Texas, his birthplace. In 2021, Dan was forced to flee Austin home for safety due to a power shortage.

Similarly, Rather has purchased a beautiful house in Livingston Manor, New York.

Even though he maintains two properties, there is no detail about his estates.

But considering his multi-million net worth, Rather may have huge houses and several other property to his name.

Cars

In 2016, Dan drove Sammy Hager‘s $1.3 million LaFerrari while filming “The Big Interview.”

But when it comes to his personal cars, Rather hasn’t released any information.

Moreover, Dan isn’t much of a car fanatic. He rarely posts pictures of his vehicle on social media.

Dan Rather | Lifestyle and Vacation

Lifestyle

Veteran journalist Dan Rather’s net worth as of March 2024 is a massive $70 million, which has enabled him to lead a comfortable and affluent lifestyle.

He was born to Daniel Irvin Rather Sr., pipe layer and a ditch digger, and Byrl Veda Page.

In 1953, Rather graduated from Sam Houston State Teachers College at Huntsville, Texas, with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and served as editor of the school paper, “The Houstonian.”

Rather joined the United States Marine Corps in January 1954 and was assigned to the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego.

However, Dan was quickly discharged after discovering that he had rheumatic illness as a youngster, which he had concealed during the recruiting process.

In 1957, Rather married Jean Goebel. They have two children, a son and a daughter.

Dan Rather Net Worth- Dan Rather and His Wife
Dan Rather and His Wife (Source: FactsBio)

Robin, their daughter, is a community organizer and environmentalist in Austin, Texas.

Meanwhile, their son, Dan, works as an associate district attorney in the Manhattan District Attorney’s office.

In 1994, Sam Houston State University’s mass communications building was renamed after Rather.

The Houstonian and KSHU, the student-run TV and radio stations, are located in this building.

For his lifelong accomplishments in journalism, Rather was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters by Siena College in Loudonville, New York, in 2007.

During live broadcasts, Rather is noted for his creative analogies and descriptions.

Long-serving journalists held Rather in high regard within his profession. Although, Dan has been accused of being biased toward liberals.

Rather still speaks out against alleged corporate and government interference in journalism.

Dan denounced local and national news organizations at a 2008 event in Minneapolis, Minnesota, hosted by the Free Press, claiming that there is no longer an incentive to produce good and valuable news.

Vacation

In 1965, he was granted his ambition to travel to Vietnam and report from the South Vietnamese battlefields.

Rather has traveled to and from Iraq on several occasions. Meanwhile, he’s been to Saudi Arabia and Jordan.

In 1990, Dan traveled to France for a short vacation.

He has traveled to several places in the world. But his most memorable trip would be his first-time visit to Alaska with his son for fishing, King Salmon.

Interestingly, Dan likes to bring peanut butter in a tube or a jar whenever he travels.

Regardless of how wonderful or horrible the food is, he wakes up in the middle of the night, hungry for anything.

He loves the Himalayas. In fact, Rather was on a business trip to northern India with his wife when he interviewed the Dalai Lama.

In addition, in 2009, Dan was seen at Walt Disney World theme park enjoying his time.

Dan Rather | Charity

Dan Rather has been involved in charity work throughout his life. He loves helping the needy and unfortunate.

In 2006, Dan donated $2 million to Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas.

The donation went to scholarships and communications programs.

Similarly, in 2014, at the Madison Community Foundation’s annual dinner, he gave the keynote address.

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Dan Rather | Movies, Book, Investment, & Endorsement

Movies

As a television personality, Dan has always been the face of media.

Dan Rather has been in several films and television shows, including “Saturday Night Live” and “Family Guy.”

In the JibJab political cartoon, “Good to Be in D.C.,” an animated imitation of him made a cameo appearance.

Similarly, Dan had a guest role in an episode of the famous TV comedy series “All in the Family” in 1971.

“Barbecue: A Texas Love Story,” a documentary film, featured him in 2004.

Likewise, Dan made a cameo appearance in the ABC drama “Dirty Sexy Money,” which premiered in 2007.

In an episode of “Simpsons,” Rather appeared as himself.

Likewise, in 2009, Dan was featured on “The Daily Show.”

Rather also became the part of the award-winning documentary “Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story,” released in 2008.

Robert Redford portrayed Rather in the political docudrama film “Truth” in 2015.

Books

Dan Rather has written several books in his life.

In 2001, Dan wrote “The American Dream: Stories from the Heart of Our Nation.”

Rather published his autobiography, “Rather Outspoken: My Life in the News” in 2012.

Dan Rather Net Worth
Dan Rather Book (Source: Goodreads)

Similarly, in 2017, Dan co-authored “What Unites Us: Reflections on Patriotism” with Elliot Kirschner. 

An 80-year-old Dan Rather was featured in the 2006 graphic novel “Shooting War as one of the final journalists still reporting from Iraq set in 2011.

Investment & Endorsement

Dan Rather has invested and endorsed several brands and companies in his career.

Rather founded “News and Guts Media,” an independent production company in 2015, through which he has created many of his projects.

Dan has appeared on various news broadcasts, including MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show, The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell, and CNN.

Additionally, Rather has contributed to Mashable and The Huffington Post.

In 2016, SiriusXM Radio released a new hour-long weekly broadcast, “Dan Rather’s America,” which runs on Radio Andy channel 102 on Tuesday mornings at 10 a.m. Eastern.

Similarly, starting from 2018, Dan has been hosting “The News with Dan Rather,” a weekly 30-minute program on “The Young Turks” YouTube channel.

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Dan Rather | Career

Dan Rather started his media career as an Associated Press correspondent in 1950.

He went on to work for United Press, the Houston Chronicle, and many Texas radio stations.

Rather worked as the play-by-play commentator for the University of Houston football team for four seasons near the end of the 1950s.

He started his television journalism as a reporter for the ABC Houston affiliate KTRK-TV before being appointed to the CBS Houston affiliate KHOU-TV director.

Dan Rather Net Worth- Dan Rather
Dan Rather (Source: The University of Southern Mississippi)

Dan moved to New York city in 1962 for a trial term with CBS. He was then promoted to head of CBS’s Southwest bureau in Dallas and then to head of the Southern bureau in New Orleans.

Rather covered several big issues throughout his time as a CBS news anchor.

The Challenger Space Shuttle catastrophe, the Iran-Contra affair, the Soviet-Afghan War, and the 2003 Iraq invasion are among them.

After getting fired from the show, Dan joined AXS TV to produce the weekly one-hour news show “Dan Rather Reports.”

As of March 2024, Dan Rather’s net worth is an enormous $70 million.

Some Interesting Facts About Dan Rather

  • Dan Rather is practically addicted to watching the news on television. He often watches nightly newscasts from NBC, ABC, and CBS in the mainstream and conventional media.
  • Dan Rather’s favorite television hosts and journalists are Jake Tapper, Rachel Maddow, Don Lemon, and Chris Matthews.
  • Rather has interviewed Saddam Hussein, the Iraqi dictator.

FAQs

What awards does Dan Rather have?

Dan Rather has multiple Peabody Awards to his name and an Emmy Award for lifetime accomplishment.

In addition, Dan was accepted into the Television Hall of Fame in 2004. He was honored by the American Academy of Achievement with the Golden Plate Award in 2001.

How was Dan Rather inspired to be a journalist?

Early in his youth, Dan Rather was affected by his father’s love for literature and the news, which drew him to journalism. He used to listen to radio programs regularly and with great excitement when he was a kid.

Who replaced Dan Rather?

Bob Schieffer in CBS News replaced Dan.

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