Jan. 6, 2024
The Briscoe Center mourns the passing of Jean Rather, the accomplished artist, philanthropist, journalist, and wife of Dan Rather. She died in November 2024 after a battle with cancer.
“Jean was a great friend to the center, and a dear friend of mine. We will miss her,” said Don Carleton, Briscoe Center executive director. “She was a passionate advocate for the arts, journalism, and the cause of history, and we were fortunate to be one of the many organizations she championed. Her support of our efforts, particularly our work in preserving news media history, was vital.”
Jean was born in Smithville, Texas, and began her media career in Houston in radio, where she met Dan. They were married for 67 years. She was a steadfast supporter of history and art in central Texas, and served on the boards of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, the University of Texas Press, and the Harry Ransom Center.
Jean was instrumental in the creation of the Briscoe Center’s Dan Rather: American Journalist, an immersive digital humanities project that explored Dan’s career and the practice of journalism in the United States in the 20th and 21st centuries.
We extend our sincerest condolences to Dan and the entire Rather family.
