Hughes Rudd

Who was Hughes Rudd?

Hughes Rudd was a television journalist and CBS News correspondent. Rudd was known for his folksy style, gravelly voice and unimposing sense of humor, often ending his newscasts with human interest stories that sometimes made him break into a chuckle on camera.

Rudd attended the University of Missouri from 1938 to 1941 before enlisting in the U.S. Army during World War II. Flying Piper Cubs as an artillery spotter pilot in Africa and Europe, Rudd earned a Purple Heart, six Air Medals and a Silver Star.

Following World War II, Rudd began his journalism career writing for several newspapers including the Kansas City Star, the Minneapolis Tribune and the Rock Springs Daily Rocket and Sunday Miner.

Rudd got his first position at CBS News as a writer through the influence of his friend Walter Cronkite. Rudd reported from around the world, including tours as a correspondent in Bonn, Berlin, and Moscow. He was an anchor of the CBS Morning News from 1973 to 1977 when the CBS morning news program was more of a news summary similar to the format of The CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite. At times, Rudd was paired with various other CBS anchors including, briefly in 1973, Sally Quinn, and more notably, Bruce Morton and later Richard Threlkeld, the latter two based in Washington.