Paul Kendall Niven Jr. (September 20, 1924 – January 7, 1970) was CBS television journalist and presidential debate moderator. He was one of Ed Murrow's team of reporters at CBS. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, he and his family returned to Brunswick, Maine in 1931. He was the son of Paul K. Niven Sr., the editor and newspaper publisher of '' The Brunswick Record.''

Early life

Niven grew up in

Brunswick, Maine Brunswick is a New England town, town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. Brunswick is included in the Lewiston-Auburn, Maine metropolitan New England city and town area. The population was 21,756 at the 2020 United States Census. Part o ...

. His childhood home was located next to

Bowdoin College Bowdoin College ( ) is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Brunswick, Maine. It was chartered in 1794. The main Bowdoin campus is located near Casco Bay and the Androscoggin River. In a ...

and across from Pickard Field. Niven graduated from Bowdoin College with an A.B. degree in 1946.

Military service

He joined the US Army Air Force in 1943, and left the service in 1946.

Career

After attending post-graduate school at the

London School of Economics and Political Science The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public university, public research university in London, England, and a member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the University ...

Niven went to work on the London staff of CBS news. Niven also wrote for the

Manchester Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

. While in London Niven covered the British 1950–1951 elections, the 1953

coronation A coronation ceremony marks the formal investiture of a monarch with regal power using a crown. In addition to the crowning, this ceremony may include the presentation of other items of regalia, and other rituals such as the taking of special v ...

of Queen Elizabeth. From France he covered the United Nations Assembly. Niven also documented the rise of

Nikita Khrushchev Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (– 11 September 1971) was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 and the Premier of the Soviet Union, Chai ...

, and the triumph of

Van Cliburn Harvey Lavan "Van" Cliburn Jr. (July 12, 1934February 27, 2013) was an American pianist. At the age of 23, Cliburn achieved worldwide recognition when he won the inaugural International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 1958 during the Cold ...

in Moscow. After working in England. Niven was hired to head up the new news department for WTOP, just purchased from CBS station in Washington, DC, by ''

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' publisher

Phil Graham Philip Leslie Graham (July 18, 1915 – August 3, 1963) was an American newspaperman. He served as publisher and later co-owner of ''The Washington Post'' and its parent company, The Washington Post Company. During his years with the Post Co ...

. He was recruited by Ed Murrow to work for CBS. He was the moderator of the public affairs television series ''

Face the Nation ''Face the Nation'' is a weekly news and Sunday morning talk show, morning public affairs program airing Sundays on the CBS radio and Television broadcasting, television network. Created by Frank Stanton (executive), Frank Stanton in 1954, ''Fa ...

'' from 1961 thru 1965. From January to October 1959 Niven was Moscow bureau chief for CBS News and heard daily on the CBS World News Roundup radio show. On October 8, 1958, the Soviet Union closed the CBS News Bureau in Moscow and ordered Niven to leave Russia because the CBS show ''

Playhouse 90 ''Playhouse 90'' is an American television anthology drama series that aired on CBS from 1956 to 1960 for a total of 134 episodes. The show was produced at CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California. Since live anthology drama series of t ...

'' had broadcast "The Plot to Kill Stalin" on September 25. Niven left on October 13.

National Educational Television

On July 7, 1966, Niven left CBS for

National Educational Television National Educational Television (NET) was an American non-commercial educational, educational terrestrial television, broadcast television network owned by the Ford Foundation and later co-owned by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. It op ...

as its lead correspondent, for which he interviewed Svetlana Alliluyeva, daughter of Soviet dictator

Josef Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...

. She said that since her father's death (on March 5, 1953), the Soviet Union had not changed despite "de-Stalinization" and that Russia's leaders had even taken "steps backwards." She was interviewed in connection with the publication of her memoir, ''Far-Away Music''.

Burma experience

Niven spent the last six months of 1956 touring Burma for a '' See It Now'' show.

Death

Niven died from head trauma as a result of house fire at his home in Washington, DC, on January 8, 1970.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Niven, Paul K., Jr. 1924 births 1970 deaths 20th-century American journalists Journalists from Maine Mass media people from Boston People from Greater Boston United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II Bowdoin College alumni Alumni of the London School of Economics American expatriates in the United Kingdom Deaths from fire in the United States Deaths from head injury