30 Facts About Knowlton Nash

Knowlton Nash was senior anchor of CBC Television's flagship news program, The National from 1978 until his retirement in 1988.

Knowlton Nash began his career in journalism by selling newspapers on the streets of Toronto during World War II.

Knowlton Nash moved back to Toronto in 1968 to join management as head of CBC's news and information programming, then stepped back in front of the camera in 1978 as anchor of CBC's late evening news program, The National.

Knowlton Nash stepped down from that position in 1988 to make way for Peter Mansbridge.

Knowlton Nash was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on November 18,1927, and named "Cyril" after his father, a racetrack betting manager.

From an early age, Knowlton Nash was fascinated with the world of journalism: by age 8, he was writing his own news sheet and selling advertising space to local merchants in exchange for candy.

In 1940, at age 12, Knowlton Nash was a newspaper boy on the streets of Toronto selling the Toronto Star and Toronto Telegram for three cents a copy.

Knowlton Nash briefly tried his hand at writing for pulp magazines True Confessions and True Crime.

Knowlton Nash briefly attended the University of Toronto but in 1947, at age 19, he was hired as night editor in the Toronto office of BUP, a wire news service affiliated with United Press.

In 1951, at age 23, Knowlton Nash returned to BUP's Toronto office, this time as bureau manager.

Knowlton Nash continued to file freelance stories for the CBC and the Financial Post while travelling abroad, and became a stringer for the Windsor Star.

Knowlton Nash occasionally wrote for the Family Herald, Maclean's, Chatelaine and the Star Weekly.

Knowlton Nash's first major political event was the 1960 Democratic National Convention, where he was an eyewitness to many of the backroom and convention floor deals that resulted in the nomination of John F Kennedy.

Knowlton Nash initially was not that interested in doing television reports, which only earned him the same fee as radio reports but took much longer to prepare; but he soon realized that the future of news reportage lay in television, and from that point on he did all he could to learn about the new medium.

Freelance correspondents were not well paid by CBC, and in 1965, Knowlton Nash helped to form the CBC Foreign Correspondents Association in order to negotiate a better wage for members, and became its first vice-president.

Knowlton Nash made extended trips abroad, including a half-dozen visits to Central and South America, and two trips to Southeast Asia to provide a Canadian perspective to the Vietnam War.

Knowlton Nash stepped down from reporting in 1969 to join CBC's management in Toronto as Director of News and Current Affairs.

Knowlton Nash immediately sent out a Telex to CBC staff to that effect.

Two hours later, after some introspection, Knowlton Nash realized that he was agreeing to government interference in the CBC's reportage, and modified his Telex to instead call for "responsible journalistic professionalism".

Knowlton Nash believed in the power of television to educate Canadians about their own history, and was instrumental in getting several series of "docudramas" on air despite protests from the entertainment and drama department that he was treading on their turf.

Knowlton Nash agreed to audition for the role, and was chosen.

In 1984, Knowlton Nash wrote the first volume of his memoirs as a foreign correspondent, History on the Run.

Knowlton Nash's books continued to garner favourable reviews, with critics often mentioning his in-depth research and personal knowledge of events and notable people.

In 1988, Knowlton Nash offered to retire from his duties at The National in order to keep Peter Mansbridge from moving to the morning news at American network CBS.

When Mansbridge accepted Knowlton Nash's offer and stayed at CBC, Knowlton Nash stepped down as chief correspondent, although he continued to anchor The National on Saturday evenings and filled in as weekday anchor when Mansbridge was on assignment or on vacation.

Knowlton Nash fully retired from CBC News after anchoring The National on November 28,1992.

Knowlton Nash was married four times, although his final marriage, to CBC personality Lorraine Thomson, lasted for 32 years.

Knowlton Nash blamed the dissolution of previous marriages on his peripatetic life as a journalist and his over-dedication to his work.

Knowlton Nash was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2002 but remained sanguine about the diagnosis, saying that many other people faced much greater challenges.

Knowlton Nash died on May 24,2014, in Toronto, surrounded by his family.