Sam Donaldson (born March 11, 1934 in El Paso, Texas) was a news anchor for ABC News, known for his persistence in questioning senior government officials up to and including the President of the United States. Donaldson attended the University of Texas at El Paso.
He also appeared for a number of years on the Sunday morning television talk show, This Week with David Brinkley. After the retirement of David Brinkley from the program, he co-hosted the program for several years with Cokie Roberts. He currently serves as a panelist on "This Week" along with Roberts and George Will and co-hosts Politics Live on ABC News Now. One popular feature on Politics Live is the Stump Sam feature, in which viewers send in presidential trivia question for Donaldson to answer. If Donaldson is stumped, the viewer who "stumped Sam" wins a free hat.
In 1995, Donaldson had a melanoma removed from a lymph node. Since then, he and his wife, Jan Smith, have both been active supporters of cancer research.
On July 7, 2004 three members of the family tending to Donaldson's ranch in Hondo, New Mexico were found murdered. Cody Posey, a fourteen year old and remaining survivor of the family, was arrested and charged with the murders and subsequently found guilty.
