In a statement, Donaldson, 70, who owns three ranches in New Mexico, told Albuquerque station KOB-TV that he and his wife, Jan, hired Delbert Posey to work at the ranch in October 2001. Sam Donaldson is a former American reporter and news anchor who was associated with ‘ABC News’ from 1967 till his retirement in 2013. (© Ho New / Reuters/REUTERS) Former ABC news anchor Sam Donaldson and his wife of 29 years, Jan Smith Donaldson, have called it quits. [2] From 1956 to 1959, Donaldson served on active duty as an artillery officer in the United States Army, attaining the rank of Captain (USAR). His other credentials include This Week, ’20/20,’ and ‘The Sam Donalson Show.’ Sam Donaldson Net Worth 2020. Forget it ... you're a 'has-been'! News Anchor Sam Donaldson and his wife Jan Smith at their home in McLean, Virginia near Washington. [11][12], Donaldson initially refused to comment, but eventually defended himself by describing the mohair subsidy as "built into the price of sheep", and claimed he had "argued against subsidies for years" and was glad when the program was finally "killed", though in fact mohair subsidies continued all the way to 2012. He was previously married to Janice Smith, Billie Kay Butler and Patricia Oates. He is best known as the network's White House Correspondent (1977–1989 and 1998–99) and as a panelist and later co-anchor of the network's Sunday program, This Week. Donaldson spent the weekend in Grand Rapids, Lansing and metro Detroit singing the praises of former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg — although the famously frank former network anchor didn’t shy away from […] Every time I say this, the conservationists and the people who love animals just jump all over me. [27] Charges were dropped on Friday, November 8, 2013, by a Delaware judge, citing lack of probable cause for the arrest. Born in Heacham, England, Donaldson played high school basketball for Luther Burbank High School before enrolling at Washington State University to play for the Cougars He was hired by WTOP-TV (currently WUSA-TV) in Washington, D.C., in February 1961. Sam fathered four children;Samuel Donaldson III, Jennifer,Thomas andRobert Donaldsonfrom his two marriage, one from the first marriage and three fro… Does any of the blame belong to you?" He covered the two major party political conventions in 1968 and in 1969 began anchoring the network's 11:00 pm Saturday and Sunday newscasts. Sam Donaldson in New Mexico. On December 1, 2012, Donaldson was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol[26] in Lewes, Delaware. Months before he was pulled over by Delaware police, Jan – his wife of 29 years – walked out on the blustery, 78-year-old newsman. Donaldson anchored the ABC Sunday Evening News from its inception in 1979 until August 1989. He graduated from the New Mexico Military Institute in 1951 and joined the United States Army as an artillery officer in 1956 rising up to the rank of Captain in 1959. In the film, he says, "An operative never comes and says, ‘here is a story I’d like you to run for me, but just in private conversation, did you know this about so and so, we’re still checking it mind you, but, but it’s probably going to turn out to be true.’ Well, you don’t want to be beaten by your competition and wait until they announce it. "Yeah, but you're going to sell the lamb and they're going to kill the lamb for the money." Sam often talks about how he was bundled off to the New Mexico Military Institute other than attending a regular High School like other teenagers because of his stubbornness. Donaldson worked for ABC Information from 1967 to 2013 and was a panelist and co-anchor on the tv … [28], impeachment investigation of President Nixon, Jimmy Carter's 1976 presidential campaign, The Sam Donaldson Show -- Live in America, Radio Television Digital News Association, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, "Erich Priebke, Nazi Who Carried Out Massacre of 335 Italians, Dies at 100", "President Visits White House Press Briefing Room Prior to Renovation", "USDA01: End the Wool and Mohair Subsidy", "1994-07-21 NPR Accompanying Report: Department of Agriculture", "Will the Republicans Really Cut This Time? Donaldson's team located Priebke in 1994, and Donaldson interviewed him on a street in Bariloche, Argentina, about his role in the execution of 335 Italian civilians on the direct orders of Adolf Hitler in the caves outside Rome. He has been married to Sandra Martorelli Donaldsonin 2014 but due to some personal issue, the couple had divorced in the same year. This content is currently not available in your region. Donaldson co-anchored the network's magazine program Primetime Live with Diane Sawyer from 1989 to 1999. Discover UK showbiz and celebrity breaking news from the MailOnline. Wildfires consume 21,000 acres on Sam Donaldson ’s New Mexico ... Sam Donaldson’s ranch is ablaze. He covered both local and national stories, including the Goldwater Presidential Campaign in 1964, the Senate debates on the civil rights bill in March 1964, and the Medicare bill the next year. That night from Belgrade, Donaldson, co-anchoring the program Primetime Live, reported on Kaplan's death. Sam Donaldson is a 86 year old American TV News. In an interview, Donaldson said of the animal rights complaints: What are we going to do about the coyotes, that are eating the lambs like there's no tomorrow? On August 2, 2006, during the last White House Press conference in the briefing room before undergoing major renovations, Donaldson shouted, "Mr. President, should Mel Gibson be forgiven? He attended New Mexico Military Institute as well as Texas Western College (now known as University of Texas at El Paso) where he served as station manager of KTEP, the campus radio station, and joined the Kappa Sigma fraternity. He was previously married for three times. We found 3 records for Sam Donaldson in Pleasant Grove, Los Alamos and Albuquerque. By clicking “I agree” below, you consent to the use by us and our third-party partners of cookies and data gathered from your use of our platforms. [13][14], Only a year later, Donaldson was embroiled in another Federal aid scandal. Donaldson was born in El Paso, Texas, the son of Chloe (née Hampson), a school teacher, and Samuel Donaldson, a farmer. He is a High School graduate of New Mexico Military Institute and received a BA from Texas Western College (now UTEP). He covered the two major party political conventions in 1968 and in 1969 began anchoring the network's 11:00 pm Saturday and Sunday newscasts. The Politics of W.A great deal of people must recall the ‘continues to be’ episode that happened between this individual and the president. [18], This was actually brought to light by Donaldson's own demands for more Federal money. Jan’s lawyer, Sandy Ain, confirmed the split to The Washington Post on Jan. 2. The … Donaldson was voted Best White House Correspondent in 1985 by readers of the Washington Journalism Review and Best Television Correspondent in 1986, 1987, 1988, and 1989 by readers of the same magazine. The McLean estate of Janice Smith, ex-wife of former ABC News White House correspondent Sam Donaldson, has sold for $24 million. One of his most widely remembered questions during his tenure at the White House came during the Reagan administration: "Mr. President, in talking about the continuing recession tonight, you have blamed mistakes of the past, and you have blamed the congress. Sam Donaldson was born on March 11, 1934 in El Paso, Texas, USA as Samuel Andrew Donaldson. A young man who was 14 when he shot and killed his family on a New Mexico ranch owned by newsman Sam Donaldson has been freed, a spokeswoman for the … [25], Donaldson appears in the 2008 political documentary about Lee Atwater, entitled Boogie Man: The Lee Atwater Story. You also agree to our Terms of Service. "[5] Donaldson replied, "Better to have been a has-been than a never-was."[6]. Yeah, they have a right to live, I'm all for that, but they're eating my lambs, folks. During the debate in Congress over whether to cut "pork", this article was read into the record,[7] and Donaldson was chastised by Senator Al D'Amato to "Give the money back", a phrase repeated multiple times in his floor speech and elsewhere. He served two and a half years on active duty in the U. S. Army and achieved the rank of Captain in the USAR. In 1995, Donaldson had a melanoma removed from a lymph node. They're eating so many lambs, I thought the other day I'd put out some mint jelly, in case they want it with their mutton. Throughout his career, he has worked on many shows and keep updating. Donaldson is known for his persistence in questioning senior government officials, including the President of the United States. He claimed to have lost a number of sheep to predators despite the heavy use of Federal resources, and therefore wanted Federal money to pay for his losses: "The government helps ranchers and farmers and businesses of all kinds. Born Samuel Andrew Donaldson on 11th March, 1934 in El Paso, Texas, USA, he is famous for ABC Newscaster. Tom Donaldson (Brother) Lots of people must remember the ‘has been’ incident that took place in the August of 2006 between the president and this person. Cody Posey, a 14-year-old and sole remaining survivor of the family, was arrested and charged with the murders and subsequently convicted and sentenced to juvenile detention until age 21. Following military service, Donaldson was hired by KRLD-TV (now KDFW-TV), the then-CBS television affiliate in Dallas, Texas. He still occasionally serves as a panelist on This Week. He was ABC's chief Watergate correspondent in 1973–74, covering the trial of the Watergate burglars, the Senate Watergate hearings and the House Judiciary Committee's impeachment investigation of President Nixon. They used to live in Albuquerque, New Mexico. People who did not recognize who and what he is are not going to pay any attention to my view and those who do don’t need me to remind them of what they already know. Former ABC News anchorman Sam Donaldson called Tucker Carlson's 10-year-old radio commentary "homophobic" and "hate speech" in an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper on … Even the Department of Agriculture was on record as wanting the program ended. In 1990–91, Donaldson covered the First Persian Gulf War (Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm) and co-anchored Primetime Live from Kuwait City two days after the Iraqi troops were forced out. Donaldson is a past member of the board of directors of the Library of American Broadcasting, the American Academy of Achievement boards; the past president of the advisory board of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars; and chairman emeritus of the advisory board of the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida. Cokie Roberts has died after an influential career covering Washington politics for NPR and ABC. On the way into town from the airport, Kaplan, riding in a second vehicle, was shot to death by a sniper. In 1971, Donaldson covered the Vietnam War for ABC News. Sam Donaldson retired from ANC News in 2013. But now -as I write on December 27, 2020 – we are in the end game for Donald J Trump. Where is Sam Donaldson Wife? Sam served as a journalist for 46 years across several networks and earned quite an impressive fortune in the process. Among his other awards are four Emmys, three Peabodys, the Edward R. Murrow award 1997 (WSU), the Paul White award (RTNDA 1998), and he and his wife Jan were among those named as "Washingtonians of the Year" by Washingtonian Magazine in 2002. By clicking “I agree” below, you consent to the use by us and our third-party partners of cookies and data gathered from your use of our platforms. ", referencing reports of the actor/producer's alleged anti-Semitic remarks. Check out this biography to know about his childhood, family, personal life, career, and achievements. Bruce Ingersoll, award-winning journalist for the Chicago Sun and Wall Street Journal, published a column entitled "As Congress Considers Slashing Crop Subsidies, Affluent Urban Farmers Come Under Scrutiny", where he named Donaldson as one of the wealthy, absentee beneficiaries of Federal subsidies, the "third largest recipient" of Federal funds in his area. He is currently a member of the Board of New Mexico First, the State's bi-partisan booster organization, and the Ford Theater Advisory Council. On October 8, 2010, Cody Posey was released. And I had no new insight about him or his cruel destructive words and actions. Otherwise, Sam Donaldson is a former news reporter and news anchor that had a short confrontation with then-President George W. Bush having an extremely tricky line.