Larry LeSueur
Encyclopedia
Larry LeSueur born Laurence Edward LeSueur, was an American journalist, who was a war correspondent during World War II. He worked closely with Edward R. Murrow
Edward R. Murrow
Edward Roscoe Murrow, KBE was an American broadcast journalist. He first came to prominence with a series of radio news broadcasts during World War II, which were followed by millions of listeners in the United States and Canada.Fellow journalists Eric Sevareid, Ed Bliss, and Alexander Kendrick...

 and was one of the original Murrow's Boys
Murrow's Boys
Murrow’s Boys, or “The Murrow Boys,” were the CBS broadcast journalists most closely associated with Edward R. Murrow during his years at the network, most notably the years before and during World War II....

. He died in 2003 after a long battle with Parkinson's disease.

Early life

Larry LeSueur was born on June 10, 1909 in New York City. Both his father and paternal grandfather were journalists; his grandfather ran a newspaper while an Indian Agent in Tama, Iowa and his father was a foreign correspondent for the New York Tribune.

Career

LeSueur began studies at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...

 (NYU) in 1927. LeSueur studied English at NYU and in 1932 he received his Bachelor's degree. LeSueur's first jobs out of college were at Macy's
Macy's
Macy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...

 and Women's Wear Daily
Women's Wear Daily
Women's Wear Daily is a fashion-industry trade journal sometimes called "the bible of fashion." WWD delivers information and intelligence on changing trends and breaking news in the fashion, beauty and retail industries with a readership composed largely of retailers, designers, manufacturers,...

. Shortly after he began working as a reporter for United Press, a wire syndicate.

In 1939 LeSueur traveled to England, where he approached Edward R. Murrow about a job. He was subsequently hired by CBS and Murrow. LeSueur covered the war across Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

, filing radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...

 reports from Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

 and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

. He covered the war on London After Dark
London After Dark
London After Dark was a joint venture radio program between CBS Radio and BBC Radio that ran during the 1940 London Blitz.- Beginning :The show began on August 24, 1940 when CBS News Chief Paul White and CBS European Events Director Edward R. Murrow began to arrange the show by cable and short wave...

, along with Murrow and Eric Sevareid
Eric Sevareid
Arnold Eric Sevareid was a CBS news journalist from 1939 to 1977. He was one of a group of elite war correspondents—dubbed "Murrow's Boys"—because they were hired by pioneering CBS newsman Edward R. Murrow....

, reporting the ongoing London Blitz. He reported extensively from the Soviet Union after he was assigned to Moscow in 1941.

LeSueur covered D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...

, the liberation of Paris
Liberation of Paris
The Liberation of Paris took place during World War II from 19 August 1944 until the surrender of the occupying German garrison on August 25th. It could be regarded by some as the last battle in the Battle for Normandy, though that really ended with the crushing of the Wehrmacht forces between the...

, as well as the Dachau and Mauthausen
Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp
Mauthausen Concentration Camp grew to become a large group of Nazi concentration camps that was built around the villages of Mauthausen and Gusen in Upper Austria, roughly east of the city of Linz.Initially a single camp at Mauthausen, it expanded over time and by the summer of 1940, the...

 concentration camp liberations. He delivered the first broadcast to American listeners from a liberated Paris
Liberation of Paris
The Liberation of Paris took place during World War II from 19 August 1944 until the surrender of the occupying German garrison on August 25th. It could be regarded by some as the last battle in the Battle for Normandy, though that really ended with the crushing of the Wehrmacht forces between the...

 via underground radio broadcast which had not been cleared by military censors. For this he was cited by the War Department
United States Department of War
The United States Department of War, also called the War Department , was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army...

 for "outstanding and conspicuous service" and awarded the French Legion of Honor and French Liberation Medal
French Liberation Medal
The French Liberation Medal or more precisely Liberated France Medal is a decoration of the French Republic which is issued to any veteran of the Second World War who participated in the liberation of France....

.

On June 6, 1944 LeSueur landed with American troops at Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...

 on Utah Beach
Utah Beach
Utah Beach was the code name for the right flank, or westernmost, of the Allied landing beaches during the D-Day invasion of Normandy, as part of Operation Overlord on 6 June 1944...

 and may have been the first reporter to broadcast from the American beachhead. LeSueur went ashore with the American 4th Infantry Division but his cables from June 6 were lost by Navy couriers en route to London. It was a week before his broadcasts from the first day of Normandy were heard by listeners. He was awarded the Medal of Freedom for his reporting on World War II. LeSueur also penned a book in 1943, Twelve Months that Changed the World, about important Eastern Front
Eastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...

 battles he covered in 1941 and 1942 for CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...

.

After the war ended LeSueur became CBS' White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...

 correspondent and covered the Paris Peace Conference
Paris Peace Treaties, 1947
The Paris Peace Conference resulted in the Paris Peace Treaties signed on February 10, 1947. The victorious wartime Allied powers negotiated the details of treaties with Italy, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Finland .The...

. Soon after he began covering the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...

. In 1948 LeSueur and CBS Radio were awarded a Peabody Award for radion shows UN in Action, Between Dark and Daylight and others. A year later, as moderator of the CBS television show United Nations in Action, he won another Peabody Award
Peabody Award
The George Foster Peabody Awards recognize distinguished and meritorious public service by radio and television stations, networks, producing organizations and individuals. In 1939, the National Association of Broadcasters formed a committee to recognize outstanding achievement in radio broadcasting...

. LeSueur's last appearance on CBS Radio
CBS Radio
CBS Radio, Inc., formerly known as Infinity Broadcasting Corporation, is one of the largest owners and operators of radio stations in the United States, third behind main rival Clear Channel Communications and Cumulus Media. CBS Radio owns around 130 radio stations across the country...

 came in 1999 when he appeared with former Murrow's Boys colleagues Richard C. Hottelet
Richard C. Hottelet
Richard C. Hottelet was a Brooklyn-born American broadcast journalist for the latter half of the twentieth century. He continues to write and lecture....

, Howard K. Smith
Howard K. Smith
Howard Kingsbury Smith was an American journalist, radio reporter, television anchorman, political commentator, and film actor. He was one of the original Edward R. Murrow boys.-Early life:...

, Marvin Breckinridge Patterson
Marvin Breckinridge Patterson
Mary Marvin Breckinridge Patterson , was an American photojournalist, cinematographer, and philanthropist. She used her middle name, Marvin, both professionally and personally....

 and other former radio colleagues Robert Trout
Robert Trout
Robert "Bob" Trout was an American broadcast news reporter, best known for his radio work before and during World War II...

 and Ed Bliss
Ed Bliss
Edward "Ed" Bliss, Jr. was an American broadcast journalist and author of several books. He died in Alexandria, Virginia.- Bliss Before CBS :...

 for a 20th century round up show.

LeSueur left CBS and joined Voice of America
Voice of America
Voice of America is the official external broadcast institution of the United States federal government. It is one of five civilian U.S. international broadcasters working under the umbrella of the Broadcasting Board of Governors . VOA provides a wide range of programming for broadcast on radio...

 (VOA) in 1963. LeSueur was considered the "forgotten" Murrow's Boy. VOA was operated by the now defunct United States Information Agency
United States Information Agency
The United States Information Agency , which existed from 1953 to 1999, was a United States agency devoted to "public diplomacy". In 1999, USIA's broadcasting functions were moved to the newly created Broadcasting Board of Governors, and its exchange and non-broadcasting information functions were...

, at the time the USIA was headed Edward R. Murrow. As a reporter at VOA he was the White House correspondent until he retired in 1984.

Personal life

LeSueur was married three times. the first two marriages to Joan Phelps and Priscilla Bruce ended in divorce. His final marriage, to Dorothy Hawkins, lasted for 46 years until his death. He also had two daughters, one with Hawkins and another with Bruce.

Death

Larry LeSueur died at age 93 on February 5, 2003 at his home in Washington D.C. after a long battle with Parkinson's Disease
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...

. His wife, Dorothy, told CBS News
CBS News
CBS News is the news division of American television and radio network CBS. The current chairman is Jeff Fager who is also the executive producer of 60 Minutes, while the current president of CBS News is David Rhodes. CBS News' flagship program is the CBS Evening News, hosted by the network's main...

 on his passing that he was listening to former Secretary of State
Secretary of State
Secretary of State or State Secretary is a commonly used title for a senior or mid-level post in governments around the world. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple Secretaries of State in the Government....

 Colin Powell
Colin Powell
Colin Luther Powell is an American statesman and a retired four-star general in the United States Army. He was the 65th United States Secretary of State, serving under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African American to serve in that position. During his military...

 address the UN on the evidence surrounding Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...

's weapons of mass destruction
Weapons of mass destruction
A weapon of mass destruction is a weapon that can kill and bring significant harm to a large number of humans and/or cause great damage to man-made structures , natural structures , or the biosphere in general...

 stockpiles in the run-up to the Iraq War.

Awards and honors

  • Peabody Award: 1948 - Institutional Award for Outstanding Programming in the Promotion of International Understanding.
  • Peabody Award: 1949 - Television News Award as moderator of United Nations in Action.
  • French Legion of Honor
  • French Liberation Medal
    French Liberation Medal
    The French Liberation Medal or more precisely Liberated France Medal is a decoration of the French Republic which is issued to any veteran of the Second World War who participated in the liberation of France....


Further reading

  • Bernstein, Mark. World War II on the Air: Edward R. Murrow and the Broadcasts That Riveted a Nation, (Google Books link), Sourcebooks
    Sourcebooks
    Sourcebooks is a book publisher located in Naperville, IL, in the western suburbs of Chicago. The company publishes books, ebooks, and digital products in most consumer categories, including college guides, memoir, children's books, young adult, fiction, romance fiction, and reference books...

    , 2005, (ISBN 1402202474).
  • Chamberlain, John
    John Chamberlain (journalist)
    John Rensselaer Chamberlain was an American journalist, historian of business and the economy, and literary critic, dubbed "one of America’s most trusted book reviewers."-Early life:...

    . The New Books, (Book review
    Book review
    A book review is a form of literary criticism in which a book is analyzed based on content, style, and merit. A book review could be a primary source opinion piece, summary review or scholarly review. It is often carried out in periodicals, as school work, or on the internet. Reviews are also often...

    ), (Harper's Paywall), Harper's, Vol. 187, No. 1120, September 1943, accessed June 22, 2011.
  • Graebner, Walter. "Russia Stands Firm; TWELVE MONTHS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD. By Larry Lesueur. 345 pp. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. $3", (Book review) (NYT Paywall, Google Books). The New York Times
    The New York Times
    The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...

    , July 25, 1943, accessed June 21, 2011.
  • LeSueur, Larry. Twelve Months That Changed the World, (Google Books link), A.A. Knopf, 1943.

External links

  • August, Melissa, et al. "Milestones Feb. 17, 2003", (includes LeSueur obituary), Time Magazine, February 17, 2003, accessed June 21, 2011.
  • LeSueur, Larry. "Big Ben Bombed", (Mp3
    MP3
    MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...

     Audio
    Audio file format
    An audio file format is a file format for storing digital audio data on a computer system. This data can be stored uncompressed, or compressed to reduce the file size. It can be a raw bitstream, but it is usually a container format or an audio data format with defined storage layer.-Types of...

     of Radio broadcast), May 11, 1941, via Musser, Rick. University of Kansas
    University of Kansas
    The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...

    , School of Journalism & Mass Communications, accessed June 21, 2011.
  • LeSueur, Larry. "Suicide Job Of The 1942 War", (Mp3
    MP3
    MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...

     Audio
    Audio file format
    An audio file format is a file format for storing digital audio data on a computer system. This data can be stored uncompressed, or compressed to reduce the file size. It can be a raw bitstream, but it is usually a container format or an audio data format with defined storage layer.-Types of...

     of Radio broadcast), May 16, 1942, via Musser, Rick. University of Kansas
    University of Kansas
    The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...

    , School of Journalism & Mass Communications, accessed June 21, 2011.
  • LeSueur, Larry. "Paris Not Yet Free", (Mp3
    MP3
    MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...

     Audio
    Audio file format
    An audio file format is a file format for storing digital audio data on a computer system. This data can be stored uncompressed, or compressed to reduce the file size. It can be a raw bitstream, but it is usually a container format or an audio data format with defined storage layer.-Types of...

     of Radio broadcast), August 24, 1944, via Musser, Rick. University of Kansas
    University of Kansas
    The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...

    , School of Journalism & Mass Communications, accessed June 21, 2011.
  • "War Reporter LeSueur Dies", (Audio
    Audio file format
    An audio file format is a file format for storing digital audio data on a computer system. This data can be stored uncompressed, or compressed to reduce the file size. It can be a raw bitstream, but it is usually a container format or an audio data format with defined storage layer.-Types of...

    ), NPR
    NPR
    NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...

    , February 6, 2003, accessed June 21, 2011.
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