Charles Cragg Hines (19 June 1945 - 16 December 2023) was born in

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...

, was employed by the ''

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Texas, United States. , it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. With it ...

,'' as a correspondent, bureau chief and columnist, for more than three decades. He retired from the ''Chronicle'' in 2007. Since his retirement, Hines wrote for

Washingtonian (magazine) ''Washingtonian'' is a monthly magazine distributed in the Washington, D.C. area. It was founded in 1965 by Laughlin Phillips and Robert J. Myers. The magazine describes itself as "The Magazine Washington Lives By". The magazine's core focuses are ...

as a freelancer and was a Democratic activist since 2008. in 2001, Hines was named as one of the "Top 50 Journalists" in D.C., by ''Washingtonian'', along with other notable journalists such as

Dan Rather Daniel Irvin Rather Jr. (; born October 31, 1931) is an American journalist, commentator, and former national evening news anchor. Rather began his career in Texas, becoming a national name after his reporting saved thousands of lives during Hurr ...

Cokie Roberts Mary Martha Corinne Morrison Claiborne "Cokie" Roberts (née Boggs; December 27, 1943 – September 17, 2019) was an American journalist and author. Her career included decades as a political reporter and analyst for National Public Radio, PBS, ...

, and

Bob Woodward Robert Upshur Woodward (born March 26, 1943) is an American investigative journalist. He started working for ''The Washington Post'' as a reporter in 1971 and now holds the title of associate editor. While a young reporter for ''The Washingto ...

. Hines reported from the

Berlin Wall The Berlin Wall (german: Berliner Mauer, ) was a guarded concrete barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and East Germany (GDR). Construction of the Berlin Wall was commenced by the government ...

in 1987, and covered each summit meeting with

Mikhail Gorbachev Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (2 March 1931 – 30 August 2022) was a Soviet politician who served as the 8th and final leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to dissolution of the Soviet Union, the country's dissolution in 1991. He served a ...

, through three administrations. He also reported on Saudi Arabia at the start of the

Persian Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...

, and the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...

Education and background

Hines earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism from the

University of North Texas The University of North Texas (UNT) is a public research university in Denton, Texas. It was founded as a nonsectarian, coeducational, private teachers college in 1890 and was formally adopted by the state 11 years later."Denton Normal School," ...

in 1967. While a student, he served as an editor of ''The Yucca'', the yearbook of North Texas State University, in 1964, 1965, and 1966. Hines was awarded a congressional fellowship, by the

American Political Science Association The American Political Science Association (APSA) is a professional association of political science students and scholars in the United States. Founded in 1903 in the Tilton Memorial Library (now Tilton Hall) of Tulane University in New Orleans, ...

, for the 1970-71 academic school year. The program is a highly selective, nonpartisan program devoted to expanding knowledge and awareness of

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...

Career

Hines was a news reporter, bureau manager and statehouse correspondent for ''

United Press International United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20th ...

'', in

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

, and later in

Little Rock ( The "Little Rock") , government_type = Council-manager , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_party = D , leader_title2 = Council , leader_name2 ...

. After five years, he left in 1972, and began working at the ''Houston Chronicle''. Hines' 35-year career with the ''Chronicle'' began in 1972, when he worked as a correspondent. Later, in 1983, he served as the paper's Washington bureau chief where he served in that position until 2000. He was a columnist at the ''Chronicle'', until his retirement in 2007. Hines reported from the Berlin Wall in 1987, when

President Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

made his "tear down this wall" speech. He also covered each summit meeting with Mikhail Gorbachev, through the Reagan,

George H.W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; p ...

and Clinton administrations. He was in Saudi Arabia at the start of the Persian Gulf War, and wrote the main story in the ''Chronicle’s'' special edition, covering the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center.

Awards and recognition

Hines was the recipient of several awards and honors, some of which are listed below. * 1970-71 Awarded a Congressional Fellowship, by the American Political Science Association, funded by the

Ford Foundation The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a US$25,000 gift from Edsel Ford. By 1947, after the death ...

. * 2001 Hines was one of the Top 50 Journalists in D.C., named by ''Washingtonian magazine''. * 2001 First-place, Texas ''

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

'' Managing Editors Award. * 2007

Adweek ''Adweek'' is a weekly American advertising trade publication that was first published in 1979. ''Adweek'' covers creativity, client–agency relationships, global advertising, accounts in review, and new campaigns. During this time, it has cover ...

referred to Hines "One of the great Washington monuments in the journalism community." * 2019 The Mary Marshall Outstanding Democrat Award, by the Arlington County Democratic Committee.

References

External links

Cragg Hines archive
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hines, Cragg American columnists University of North Texas alumni 1945 births 20th-century American journalists American male journalists