Linda Wertheimer is a distinguished journalist whose career has significantly shaped political reporting in the United States. Joining NPR at its inception, she became the first broadcast director of *All Things Considered* when it debuted in 1971. Over her 13 years as host, she transformed the program into a leading afternoon news source, growing its audience from six million in 1989 to nearly ten million by 2001, solidifying its status as a top-tier news program.

Before her tenure as host, Wertheimer served as NPR’s congressional and national political correspondent from 1974 to 1989. During this time, she provided award-winning coverage of pivotal events, including the Watergate hearings and the Iran-Contra affair. Her extensive reporting on four presidential and eight congressional elections showcased her ability to engage audiences with in-depth analysis and firsthand accounts from the campaign trail.

Wertheimer made history in 1976 as the first woman to anchor network coverage of a presidential nomination convention and election night. Her groundbreaking work included live broadcasts from the Senate chamber, notably her 37 days of coverage on the Panama Canal Treaty debates, which earned her a prestigious Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University award.

Throughout her career, Wertheimer has received numerous accolades, including recognition from *Washingtonian* magazine as one of the top 50 journalists in Washington. Her contributions to NPR and public broadcasting have left an indelible mark, culminating in her retirement in 2024 after over fifty years of dedicated service.