Best known as the anchor of the CBS Evening News from 1962 to his retirement in 1981, Walter Cronkite covered important stories like the Vietnam War, the Kennedy assassination, the Apollo 11 moon landing, the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Watergate scandal. Because of his journalistic integrity, for which he dedicated himself to impartiality, accuracy, and thoroughness, and the obvious humanity that he projected during his reports, Cronkite became recognized after a national poll in 1972 as "The Most Trusted Man in America."

The concept of a trusted journalist may seem foreign to many today when much of journalism has been overrun by special interests, spin, propaganda, and the pursuit of money over integrity. But Cronkite helped define what a journalist should be and the balanced way to approach events, and his viewers responded with admiration and confidence. He held such national confidence that after he visited Vietnam and said in his newscast that it was time for the U.S. to accept that the war couldn't be won and should negotiate its way out, President Johnson is reported to have said, "If I've lost Cronkite, I've lost Middle America." Johnson, who greatly expanded the U.S. presence in Vietnam, decided a month later not to run for reelection in 1968.

Cronkite was trusted not only for his fair reporting but also for his humanity. When he announced President Kennedy's death with obvious restrained grief and tearing eyes, his audience connected with him on an emotional level. When he covered the Apollo 11 mission with almost childlike glee, his audience connected with him as a human being.

Cronkite helped define what a journalist should be

Part of his charm and integrity was undoubtedly confirmed in the public's consciousness by his pipe smoking. Pipes during that era conferred a certain credibility, and Cronkite was rarely without one. His persona, in fact, probably contributed to the cultural impression that pipe smokers are dependable, thoughtful, and principled individuals.

Early Career

Cronkite was born in Missouri and lived in Kansas City until at age 10 he moved with his family to Houston, Texas. In 1933 he enrolled at the University of Texas at Austin, where he worked on the student publication, the Daily Texan. There's a photo on Pinterest of Cronkite smoking a pipe as a student during that time. Pipe maker and appraiser Adam Davidson says, "That appears to be a WDC Wellington pipe. Similar to Peterson, but with that extra-large stem." Cronkite soon started writing news and sports for a number of different newspapers and left college in 1935 to pursue a career in reporting.

In 1936 he became a radio broadcaster, developing a reputation that quickly accelerated. He was known on-air as Walter Wilcox because stations of the time didn't want listeners to follow particular personalities when they moved on.

Cronkite was permitted to use his real name when he joined Edward R. Murrows's team of war correspondents at CBS News, but he soon changed to a better-paying position with United Press International. He became a popular reporter, covering WWII from Europe and North Africa, launching that part of his career aboard the battleship U.S.S. Texas, from which he was once flown to Norfolk so he could scoop rival correspondents about Operation Torch, an Allied invasion of French North Africa.

He also flew bombing missions over Germany in B-17 Flying Fortresses, at least once firing a machine gun at enemy troops. With the 101st Airborne Division, he even flew in a glider mission in the German-occupied Netherlands to report on the creation of an invasion route into Germany. Gliders were essential for such missions and were quite dangerous. Servicemen affectionately called them "flying coffins."

From late 1944 to early 1945, Cronkite covered the Battle of the Bulge. He did not report from a desk. He was in the midst of events and often risked his life in the pursuit of accurate, personal journalism.

Becoming a Television Personality

When TV was an infant technology, Cronkite recognized its potential. He joined the CBS News television division in 1950 and for 11 years anchored a 15-minute news show airing at 11 p.m. on Sunday nights. He additionally hosted the popular show, "You Are There," from 1951 to 1962, in which historical events were presented in a news-style format. That style evolved and in 1957 he began hosting "The 20th Century," again in a reporting style and relying heavily on film and interviews to cover recent history. He hosted a morning news show and even a game show for a short time, enjoying both assignments.

He became a popular reporter, covering WWII from Europe and North Africa

In 1962, Cronkite took over the CBS Evening News as anchor and managing editor. Under his stewardship, the show expanded from 15 minutes to a half hour, the first nightly news show to do so. This position garnered him the respect and admiration of a worldwide audience, showcasing his charisma and obvious work ethic.

Cronkite the Pipe Smoker

Doctor of Pipes and retired attorney Vernon Vig once had the honor of smoking a pipe with Cronkite. On the occasion of Cronkite's death in 2009, he wrote about it on the United Pipe Clubs of America website, but in a recent conversation, he was able to provide a couple more details.

It happened at P.J. Clarkes's on Third Avenue, which bills itself as "the original saloon in the thick of New York City, virtually unchanged since 1884." It has a historical ambiance, appropriate for a chance encounter with Walter Cronkite. Vernon says it was sometime in the early 1970s when he was standing at the bar one night. Cronkite came in and stood next to him.

Unfortunately, they did not discuss pipes or tobacco. Civilized people like Vernon politely avoid intrusions when encountering a famous person in the wild, no matter how curious they may be. But Cronkite was as friendly as any normal person. Famous people, it turns out, are often normal.

"I've been thinking back about it," says Vernon, "and what I remember is, I ran into him once or twice before because we had the same dentist in Rockefeller Center. So occasionally I would see him in the waiting room for the dentist, not really to talk, but just to say hi. But on the occasion at P.J Clarke's, I was standing at the bar. It was a rainy night, and he came in. I remember he had a pretty hefty raincoat on, and he loosened that up. He put his hat, which was wet, on the bar. And he reached into his pocket, pulled out a well-used leather pouch, and filled up a pipe."

Vernon doesn't remember or didn't recognize at the time what pipe it was, but says he thought it might be a Wilke. "I would say it was about a Group 4 straight Billiard, but that's all I remember. He lit it up and puffed, and said something like, 'It's a fine night to have a smoke,' which was true."

Cronkite ordered a beer and the two stood quietly at the bar, smoking and occasionally exchanging a few unimportant, polite words. Cronkite seemed content and thoughtful, and Vernon didn't want to interrupt because he imagined that when in public he was often asked too many frivolous questions.

Cronkite was as friendly as any normal person

"I remember that he would pick up his pipe and take a few puffs, then put it down for a bit, then pick it up again and relight, take a few puffs, and put the pipe down on the bar. I had to leave shortly after. Anyway, nice guy. His voice was the same; he had a nice smile. I wish I'd talked to him longer."

Cronkite's Tobaccos

Vernon's guess that Cronkite was smoking a Wilke pipe would make sense because Cronkite often visited the Wilke shop. Though an avid pipe smoker who undoubtedly tried many tobaccos, few are mentioned in print.

One of the tobaccos he smoked was Wilke #72. Steve Brandt, proprietor of Wilke, remembers Cronkite dropping by the shop when it was still in New York before it moved to Fall River, Massachusetts. Cronkite visited the shop regularly for pipe and tobacco purchases, though Steve personally experienced only the tobacco purchases.

He lit it up and puffed, and said something like, 'It's a fine night to have a smoke,'

"He always smoked #72," says Steve. "It's a light English blend, one of our most popular. It has Burleys, two cuts of Virginia, Latakia, and Perique. Walter Cronkite would come into the shop and sit in a chair and smoke between broadcasts." Smokingpipes doesn't carry Wilke tobaccos but for those curious, #72 can be purchased on the Wilke website. In Steve's experience, it's the only tobacco Cronkite smoked. But given how civil and polite Cronkite was, he wouldn't be likely to smoke a non-Wilke tobacco when enjoying time in that shop.

"I've spoken with older customers from back then who said they would walk in and it'd be nothing to see Walter Cronkite sitting in a chair smoking his pipe. He was always friendly. He smoked a straight pipe, but I'm not sure what make. Most of the time he always had the same pipe. He was there quite a bit. I'm not sure how often, but I guess on most news days in between broadcasts he was there, so I guess it was quite routine."

In the book Cronkite's War (2013), a letter to his wife Betsy, written when he was covering WWII, is published, and it mentions a couple of tobaccos she sent to him from home:

Judy, by the way, was Betsy and Walter Cronkite's beloved cocker spaniel, often mentioned in Cronkite's letters. How she sent him tobacco is not revealed. Bond Street was an Aromatic mixture manufactured by Philip Morris, now long out of production. It contained Black Cavendish, Burley, Cavendish, Kentucky, and Virginia tobaccos. Mixture 79 is an original Sutliff blend developed in 1933. It was (and is) enormously popular and is still available today, a Burley Aromatic flavored with anise, whisky, and natural vanilla.

Walter Cronkite would come into the shop and sit in a chair and smoke between broadcasts."

There's some additional evidence that Bond Street was another of Cronkite's favorites, at least during his war correspondent years: "There is only one kind of tobacco on which I'm really short here, and that is good pipe tobacco, such as my favorite Bond Street. The PX has it for a couple of weeks every three or four months..." (Cronkite's War, page 104)

In other letters during his war correspondent years, Cronkite most often mentions his appreciation for being sent pipe cleaners, which were evidently a profound luxury. He liked fruit cake, too, but pipe cleaners seem to have been his favorite gift from the States, perhaps because he could get only one packet a week from the PX. During the war, Cronkite routinely stopped by the PX for his weekly rations, which included juice, vanilla wafers, one can of unspecified pipe tobacco, a bar of soap, and one packet of pipe cleaners (Gay, 32).

Cronkite's Pipes

In Cronkite's book, A Reporter's Life (1996), he mentions his earliest job with the Houston Press and how his new payscale permitted a welcome indulgence, and further explains when he in late life gave up pipe smoking:

Bond Street was another of Cronkite's favorites

Aside from his post-broadcast smokes, Cronkite was known to smoke while writing. In Assignment to Hell (2012) Timothy M. Gay reports that when Cronkite was writing news stories during WWII, "he tended to perch sideways, legs crossed, furiously puffing a pipe as his fingertips crashed over the keyboard. Literally every second counted when butting heads with the competition." (page 3)

Most of what we know of his pipes can be gathered only from photos. He smoked traditional pipes both straight and bent, but mostly straight of the Canadian and Billiard varieties. There's an interesting image on the Newsweek website taken in 1970 that shows Cronkite smoking what appears to be a Medico Sterling Silversmith pipe. These were pipes with various scenes, usually sports-themed, overlaid on the bowl of the pipe in silver.

There are only a couple of fully bent pipes in photos, but one is mentioned in Cronkite's War in a letter to Betsy: "This isn't much like the Valentine's Days of the past. I've thought constantly of you and Judy all day, as I seem to every day. I've even got out my big Oom-Paul pipe that you gave me last Valentine's Day. But that wasn't enough of a substitute for being at home" (page 47)

He obviously disliked being away from his wife and dog, but his job required it, and Walter Cronkite did the job like no other.

I went out and bought a Kaywoodie pipe on which I had long had my eye.

Cronkite was a consummate newsman. He took his responsibility to the public seriously and fulfilled his journalistic responsibilities with integrity, charm, honesty, and hard work, and was willing to risk his life to do so. He shaped public opinion by virtue of the trust held in him. As a pipe smoker, he was enthusiastic about his pipes and tobaccos, giving them up only when they interfered with the persona he needed to maintain his relationship with the public and thereby execute the best reporting possible. He was a man who millions admired and respected, and he was a true pipe smoker, one with whom any of us would enjoy sharing a bowl and a story.

Bibliography

• Cronkite, W. (1996). A reporter's life. Random House.
• A Reporter's Life by Walter Cronkite 1996
• Gay, T. M. (2012). Assignment to hell: The war against Nazi germany with correspondents Walter Cronkite, Andy Rooney, A.J. Liebling, Homer Bigart, and Hal Boyle. New American Library.
• Cronkite, W., & Isserman, M. (2014). Cronkite's war: His World War II letters home. National Geographic.
• Vig, V. (2009, December 3). REMEMBERING WALTER CRONKITE – PIPESMOKER. United Pipe Clubs of America.
• Cofresi, D. (2006, July 26). Walter Cronkite ~ Walter Cronkite Biography. PBS.
• McNamara, R. (2019, August 7). Biography of Walter Cronkite, Anchorman and TV News Pioneer. ThoughtCo.
• Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (2024, July 13). Walter Cronkite. Encyclopædia Britannica.