Rowland Evans dead at age 79

Rowland Evans

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Rowland Evans, longtime CNN contributor and nationally syndicated columnist, died Friday at age 79 after a year-long battle with cancer.

For almost 20 years, Evans and nationally syndicated columnist Robert Novak hosted the discussion program Evans & Novak on CNN. Evans and Novak also co-wrote a political column for 30 years.

"What a reporter and that column always showed it. He developed great friendships, ranging from President Kennedy to President Johnson to many others, but he also worked them as sources," said Chairman and CEO of CNN News Group Tom Johnson.

VIDEO CNN Chairman Tom Johnson shares remembrances of political columnist and commentator Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)   MESSAGE BOARD Roland Evans remembered

"As his column showed day in and day out, and as his television show showed here on CNN, it was a source of news -- the inside news, frequently, of what was happening in the highest councils of government," Johnson said.

"On behalf of all of us at CNN, ranging from Ted Turner throughout the entire staff, I want to convey our deepest condolences to Roland's family and to his many, many friends."

Evans recently explained why he liked to cover political stories.

"Because politics and the impulses of power that direct politicians towards certain goals and away from other objectives that put them in contest with each other … the great movements in history come from the soul and heart of politicians," Evans said.

"And for a reporter to be able to spot the origin as these developments begin to occur in a political being, in a politician, and to watch how the politician then tries to sell his view, tries to put it into practice, mobilize his allies, gains new allies, makes enemies, it's the highest calling in human nature .. finding out human nature works."

Evans began his newspaper career as a reporter with The Philadelphia Bulletin

Evans attended Yale University before joining the Marines during World War II, serving in the Solomon Islands.

He began his newspaper career as a reporter with The Philadelphia Bulletin.

Evans covered Congress and national politics for the New York Herald-Tribune. He also traveled extensively in Eastern Europe, the Soviet Union and Asia for the Tribune and national magazines.

His background includes work with the Associated Press, where he covered Washington D.C., and the Senate. In May 1963, Evans teamed with Novak, then congressional correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, to write Inside Report, a political column published four times a week.

In June 1998, The Wall Street Journal's Al Hunt and nationally syndicated columnist Mark Shields joined the program to form Evans, Novak, Hunt & Shields. Evans alternated with Hunt and Shields in co-hosting duties with Robert Novak.

Writing alone and with Novak, Evans had contributed to periodicals such as Harper's, The Saturday Evening Post, The New Republic, Atlantic Monthly and other publications. He and Novak were contributing editors for Reader's Digest.

Evans also co-authored several books with Novak, including "Lyndon B. Johnson: The Exercise of Power" (1966); "Nixon in the White House: The Frustration of Power" (1971); and "The Reagan Revolution" (1981).

Since 1966, The Chicago Sun-Times has been the home paper to the column that is currently syndicated to more than 150 newspapers around the country by Creators Syndicate.

On May 15, 1993, Evans retired from the column and at the time of his death wrote only occasionally.

Evans would have turned 80 on April 28.

See related sites about US

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.