Timothy John Russert Died at aged 58

Timothy John Russert was born May 7, 1950 in Buffalo, New York to Irish American Catholic parents Elizabeth (Betty), a homemaker, and Timothy Joseph "Big Russ" Russert, a sanitation worker and newspaper truck driver,[3][4] who were married for 30 years and separated in 1976.[5] He was the second of four children; his sisters are Betty Ann (B.A.), Kathleen (Kathy) and Patricia (Trish).[5] He received a Jesuit education[6] from Canisius High School in Buffalo.

He received his B.A. in 1972 from John Carroll University and a Juris Doctor with honors from the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law in 1976.[3] Russert commented on Meet the Press that he went to Woodstock, "in a Buffalo Bills jersey with a case of beer." While in law school, an official from his alma mater, John Carroll University, called Russert to ask if he could book some concerts for the school as he had done while a student. He agreed, but said he would need to be paid because he was running out of money to pay for law school. One concert that Russert booked was headlined by a then-unknown singer, Bruce Springsteen, who charged $2,500 for the concert appearance. Russert told this story to Jay Leno when he was a guest on the The Tonight Show on NBC on June 6, 2006.[7]









Russert assumed the job of host of the Sunday morning program Meet the Press in 1991, and would become the longest serving host of the program. Its name was changed to Meet the Press with Tim Russert, and, at his suggestion, went to an hour-long format in 1992. The show also shifted to a greater focus on in-depth interviews with high profile guests, where Russert was known especially for his extensive preparatory research. One approach he developed was to find old quotes or video clips that were inconsistent with guests' more recent statements, present them on-air to his guests and then ask them to clarify their positions. With Russert as host the show became increasingly popular, receiving more than 4 million viewers per week, and was recognized as one of the most important sources of political news. Time Magazine named Russert one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2008, and Russert often moderated political campaign debates.[8]

He was an American television journalist and lawyer who appeared for more than 16 years as the longest-serving moderator of NBC's Meet the Press. He was an NBC News' Senior Vice President, Washington bureau chief and also hosted the eponymous CNBC/MSNBC weekend interview program Tim Russert. He was a frequent correspondent and guest on NBC's The Today Show and Hardball. Russert covered several presidential elections, and he presented the NBC News/Wall Street Journal survey on the NBC Nightly News during the 2008 U.S. presidential election. Time Magazine included Russert in its list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2008.[1] Russert was posthumously revealed as a thirty-year source of columnist Robert Novak.[2]


During his career, Russert received 48 honorary doctorates and won several awards for excellence in journalism,
including the Edward R. Murrow Award from the Radio-Television News Directors Association, the John Peter Zenger Freedom of the Press Award, the American Legion Journalism Award, the Veterans of Foreign Wars News Media Award, the Congressional Medal of Honor Society Journalism Award, the Allen H. Neuharth Award for Excellence in Journalism, the David Brinkley Award for Excellence in Communication and the Catholic Academy for Communication's Gabriel Award. Russert also received an Emmy Award in 2005 for his coverage of the funeral of former President Ronald Reagan.[27]

Career timeline

Political career

1977–1982 — Chief of Staff to Daniel Patrick Moynihan

1983–1984 — Counselor to Mario Cuomo Broadcast career

1984–1988 — Senior vice-President of NBC News' Washington operations

1988–2008 — Washington Bureau Chief of NBC News

1991–2008 — Moderator of Meet the Press 1992–2006 — Co-anchor of NBC News' Election

Russert, was a devout Catholic, said many times he had made a promise to God to never miss Sunday Mass if his son were born healthy. In his writing and in his news reporting, Russert spoke openly and fondly of his Catholic school education and of the role of the Catholic Church in his life. He was an outspoken supporter of Catholic education on all levels.[31] He said that his father, a sanitation worker who never finished high school, "worked two jobs all his life so his four kids could go to Catholic school, and those schools changed my life." He also spoke warmly of Catholic nuns who taught him. "Sister Mary Lucille founded a school newspaper and appointed me editor and changed my life," he said. Teachers in Catholic schools "taught me to read and write, but also how to tell right from wrong."[31]

Tim Russert, NBC News "Meet the Press" moderator dies at age 58Shortly after 1:30 p.m. on the afternoon of June 13, 2008, Russert collapsed at the offices of WRC-TV, which houses the Washington, D.C. bureau of NBC News where he was bureau chief. He was recording voiceovers for the Sunday edition of Meet the Press. According to Brian Williams during his speech at the Kennedy Center on June 18, Russert's last words were, "What's happening?" spoken as a greeting to NBC Washington bureau editing supervisor Candace Harrington.[33] He then collapsed. A co-worker began rescue breathing on him, although Russert needed CPR. The District of Columbia Fire and Rescue service received a call from NBC at 1:40 p.m. and dispatched an EMS unit which arrived at 1:44 p.m. Paramedics attempted to defibrillate Russert's heart three times, but he did not respond. Russert was then transported to Sibley Memorial Hospital, arriving at 2:23 p.m., where he was pronounced dead.[34]

Russert had just returned from a family vacation in Italy, where he went to celebrate his son's graduation from Boston College.[37] While his wife and son remained in Italy, Russert had returned to prepare for his Sunday television show.[38]

Russert's longtime friend and physician, Dr. Michael Newman, said that his asymptomatic coronary artery disease had been controlled with medication and exercise, and that he had performed well on a stress test in late April. An autopsy performed on the day of his death determined that his history of coronary artery disease led to a myocardial infarction (heart attack) with the immediate cause being an occlusive coronary thrombus in the left anterior descending artery resulting from a ruptured cholesterol plaque.[39]

Russert is buried at Rock Creek Cemetery, next to the historic Soldiers' Home, in Washington.[40]