Bob Schieffer
A steady, trusted face of CBS News for decades, he moderated presidential debates with a reporter's grit and interviewed every commander-in-chief from Nixon onward.
Born 1937 (age 89)·American television journalist·Birthday: February 25·The Silent Generation
Biography
Bob Schieffer's career is a map of Washington power, drawn with Texas charm and a reporter's notebook. He arrived at CBS News in 1969, just as the nation was fracturing, and proceeded to cover every major beat: the Pentagon, the State Department, Congress, and the White House. This made him uniquely prepared for the anchor desk, which he inherited not as a star but as a reliable hand during turbulent times. He became known for his direct, no-nonsense questioning and an avuncular demeanor that could disarm politicians. Schieffer moderated three presidential debates, earning praise for keeping the focus on substance. His Sunday morning program, 'Face the Nation,' became a essential pit stop for policymakers, where his deep institutional knowledge allowed him to cut through spin. Over more than fifty years, he secured interviews with every sitting president from Richard Nixon to Joe Biden, a record of access built on fairness and professional respect rather than partisan fervor.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Bob was born in 1937, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Bob Was Born
The biggest hits of 1937
#1 Movie
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Best Picture
The Life of Emile Zola
Bob's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1937Born
Hindenburg disaster; Golden Gate Bridge opens
Gas: $0.20/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"A-Tisket, A-Tasket" — Ella FitzgeraldBest Picture: The Life of Emile Zola
1942Started school
Battle of Midway turns the tide in the Pacific
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,175Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"White Christmas" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Mrs. Miniver
1950Became a teenager
Korean War begins
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,354Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Goodnight Irene" — Gordon Jenkins & The WeaversBest Picture: All About Eve
1953Could drive
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1955Could vote
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1958Turned 21
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1967Turned 30
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1977Turned 40
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1987Turned 50
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 60
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 70
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 80
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 89 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Moderated presidential debates in 2004, 2008, and 2012.
- Served as the anchor of 'Face the Nation' from 1991 to 2015.
- Is one of the few journalists to have covered all four major Washington beats: White House, Pentagon, State Department, and Congress.
- Interviewed every U.S. President from Richard Nixon through Joe Biden.
Did You Know?
He began his journalism career at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, where he covered the police beat.
He was the first journalist to report that President John F. Kennedy had been killed in Dallas.
Schieffer is an accomplished blues harmonica player and has performed with bands.
He authored a memoir titled 'This Just In: What I Couldn't Tell You on TV.'
“The only way to cover politics is to be skeptical but not cynical.”
