PBS news anchor Jim Lehrer has died

Jim Lehrer, the longtime host of the nightly PBS NewsHour, died peacefully in his sleep on Thursday, according to the public broadcaster. He was 85.

What is he remembered for? In addition to anchoring NewsHour, Lehrer moderated 12 presidential debates, including all of the debates in 1996 and 2000. After he graduated from college in 1956, Lehrer served three years in the U.S. Marine Corp. He later worked 11 years at The Dallas Morning News and other newspapers before making the jump to television. “Jim reported the news with a clear sense of purpose and integrity—even as the world of media changed around him,” NewsHour journalist Anne Azzi Davenport wrote.

Dig deeper: In 2005, NewsHour did a segment on Christian journalism featuring WORLD editor in chief Marvin Olasky, correspondent Jill Nelson, and myself. Read the transcript on the PBS NewsHour website.