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DAN Rather is a legendary journalist who is widely recognized for his reporting on Hurricane Carla, the Gulf War and John F. Kennedy’s assassination.
His wife Jean Geobel sadly passed away in November 2024 — here we take a look at the lives of the couple’s children.
Who is Dan Rather?
Dan Rather is a journalist from Wharton, Texas, born on October 31, 1931.
In 1953, Rather received his degree in journalism from Sam Houston State University.
While studying, Rather began his journalism career working for the Associated Press before moving on to the United Press.
In 1959, the Texas native took his career to the next level when he began working as a TV broadcaster for ABC affiliate KTRK-TV.
The following year, he moved to CBS affiliate KHOU-TV, where his career in broadcasting rose to prominence.
In 1961, he covered Hurricane Carla, showcasing the first radar image of any hurricane on television.
The following year, Rather joined CBS News’ Southwest Bureau. There he famously worked as a correspondent for 60 Minutes from 1975 until 1981.
He went on to work as an anchor for CBS Evening News for 24 years.
In June 2006, he was let go from the network when his contract was up for renewal.
In 2007, he filed a $70 million lawsuit against CBS that claimed he was made the “scapegoat” in the 2004 Killian controversy.
Reflecting on his departure with The Hollywood Reporter, Rather said: “I have a lot of flaws and a lot of vulnerabilities.
“I’ve made a lot of mistakes. I have a lot of wounds, some of them self-inflicted, some of them still partially open. But I’m a fighter.”
Following his firing, Rather continued to work eventually earning his own segment for AXS TV called Dan Rather Reports and later The Big Interview with Dan Rather.
In April 2024, it was revealed that Rather would return to CBS News for an interview 18 years after his exit.
He is set to be the subject of the April 28 episode of CBS Sunday Morning, during which he will discuss his time with the network.
Who are Dan Rather’s children?
At the beginning of his career, Rather welcomed two kids with his wife, Jean.
Their daughter, Robin, became an environmentalist in Austin, Texas.
She founded Collective Strength, a Texas-based organization in the sustainability field.
Her Twitter/X account also states that she works as a “research and messaging strategist for visionary clients”.
Danjack Rather pictured with his father[/caption]
Danjack, the couple’s son, pursued a career in law enforcement and public service.
He has worked as an assistant district attorney in New York City for more than 30 years.
His father has previously expressed his pride in Danjack’s achievements, describing his son as “a world-class human being”.
Speaking with People, Rather reflected on having to say the “toughest” goodbyes to his wife and kids when he would go on assignments.
“The first year I was with CBS News, I was home 41 days out of the year. Forty-one days out of the year,” he recalled.
“Very hard to hold a marriage and a family together then.”
He spoke about having to work on an assignment during the time Russia invaded Afghanistan not knowing if he would make it out alive.
“But in 1980, the Russians invaded, and we had a plan for me to lead a small group into Afghanistan. We had been told we probably couldn’t get in, but if we did get in, we’d never get out alive.
“Jean and I had a real heart-to-heart talk about it. And my oldest child, my daughter, took me aside and said, ‘Dad, you’ve been through a lot, but we have a bad feeling about this one. We think if you go, you may not come back.’
“In terms of leaving, that was probably the toughest leave that I made.”
Who was Dan Rather’s wife, Jean?
Rather was married to his wife, Jean Grace Goebel, between 1957 and her death in November 2024.
She passed away at the age 89 following a battle with cancer, friends of the family announced in a Facebook post on Dan’s account on November 26.
It read: “Today is the saddest of days for Dan and the extended Rather family.
“Jean Rather, Dan’s wife, passed away at their home in Austin, Texas, early this morning.
It added that Jean, who was married to Rather for 67 years, “had been on hospice care for some time, but the news still comes as a shock for those of us who knew and loved her”.
The statement continued: “Please keep the Rathers in your thoughts. Jean lived a full life as an incredible wife, mother, friend, and artist — and a true Texan.”
While Rather spent most of his life as a journalist, Jean spent years as an artist.
Before she found her passion in art, Jean worked in many jobs, including a secretarial position, which is how she met her husband.
Rather said meeting Jean for the very first time was “love at first sight” during a 2020 interview with Closer Weekly.
“I was working at KTRH radio in Houston and she came to work in a secretarial position. In my case, it was love at first sight,” he told the outlet.
“Not only was she so intelligent, she was smoking hot, and it took me a while to convince her to marry me. I don’t think there’s any secret about it.”
