Alistair Cooke

Alistair Cooke (1908–2004) was a British-born American journalist, broadcaster and author whose career spanned three quarters of a century. As the voice of Letter from America, the weekly BBC radio programme he delivered for 58 years — the longest-running broadcast talk show in history — he was a cherished interpreter of the United States to the English-speaking world.

Cooke began after Cambridge worked between Britain and America, becoming host of the celebrated television series America. Originally an admirer of the American commons, he ended his Letter as a living witness to a turbulent century, mourned on both continents as a master of the long-form essay.