As co-anchor of the landmark Huntley-Brinkley Report on NBC from 1956 to 1970, as well as a veteran reporter and news show host known for his low-key and witty style, David Brinkley is regarded as one of the most influential journalists in the history of broadcast news. When media historians name the pioneers of television journalism, Brinkley regularly joins the ranks of such notables as Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite.

Brinkley was born on July 10, 1920, in Wilmington, North Carolina. The youngest of five children, Brinkley has described his relatives as a Southern family representing generations of physicians and Presbyterian ministers. His father was a railroad employee who died when Brinkley was eight. Because his siblings were older than him, the younger Brinkley was a loner who occupied himself with the prolific reading of books. At New Hanover High School, Brinkley joined the school newspaper staff...