William Augustus Leonard (April 9, 1916 – October 23, 1994) was an American journalist and television executive who served as President of CBS News from 1979 to 1982.
[1] Leonard grew up in Orange, New Jersey and Westport, Connecticut, attending Avon Old Farms private preparatory school.
[2] Leonard joined the United States Navy in 1941, as an officer "in charge of guided missile countermeasures," in the Mediterranean theatre.
As president, he chose 60 Minutes correspondent Dan Rather to succeed Walter Cronkite as anchor of the CBS Evening News in 1981.
Leonard and Chairman William S. Paley were the only two employees allowed to stay on past CBS's mandatory retirement age.