Veteran news anchor and senior correspondent Tom Brokaw is retiring from NBC News after 55 years, the network said Friday.
Brokaw has covered some of the most memorable events of the last half-century, from Watergate to the fall of the Berlin Wall, and for more than 20 years was the face of the evening news in living rooms across the country as the host of NBC Nightly News.
Brokaw started his career in Los Angeles, where he covered Ronald Reagan’s first run for public office, the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy and the 1968 presidential campaign.
In 1973, he moved to Washington, D.C., where he became NBC News' White House correspondent during Watergate. He stayed there until 1976 before moving to New York to begin hosting TODAY.
In 1983, he became the anchor and managing editor of "NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw," where he led the team for 22 years, according to the statement. He also served as moderator of "Meet the Press" after the death of longtime host Tim Russert, becoming the only anchor to host all three of the network's flagship shows.
Brokaw has also written several books on American history and society in the 20th century, including "The Greatest Generation."
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Brokaw has won many journalism awards, including Peabodys, Duponts, Emmys and The Edward R. Murrow Award for Lifetime Achievement in Broadcasting.
In 2016, Brokaw was awarded the Legion of Honor by the French government for his advocacy on issues facing veterans. In 2014, Brokaw was awarded the Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama.
“During one of the most complex and consequential eras in American history, a new generation of NBC News journalists, producers and technicians is providing America with timely, insightful and critically important information, 24/7. I could not be more proud of them,” Brokaw said in the written statement.
Born in Webster, South Dakota, Brokaw graduated from the University of South Dakota in 1964 before beginning his TV career at KTIV in Sioux City, Iowa. He joined NBC News in 1966.
Brokaw plans to continue authoring books and news articles, according to the retirement announcement, and spend time with his wife, Meredith, three daughters and grandchildren.
