Journalist and author Andrew Aitken Rooney was born in Albany, New York, on January 14, 1919. Rooney attended The Albany Academy from 1932 to 1938, where he began his writing career as a contributor to the student magazine The Cue. At Colgate University, Rooney served as editor of Colgate’s magazine The Banter and played on the school’s football team, a reflection of his life-long love affair with the game.

In 1941, Rooney was drafted into the United States Army. Although he arrived in England as part of the 17th Field Artillery Regiment in 1942, that same year he answered a call for reporters for The Stars and Stripes, the Armed Forces daily newspaper. As a writer for the London-based publication, Rooney counted among his colleagues United Press reporter Walter Cronkite, Stars and Stripes correspondent Don Hewitt, and Edward R. Murrow.

Rooney flew on the second bombing raid over Germany as part of the so-called “Writing 69th,” a group of eight war correspondents trained to fly on bomber missions with the Eighth Air Force. He arrived on the beaches of Normandy shortly after D-Day, accompanied the French Seconde Division Blindé into Paris, covered the battle of St. Lô, and was among the first American reporters granted access to Nazi concentration camps.

After the War, Rooney published The Story of the Stars and Stripes with Bud Hutton and worked as a freelance journalist. In 1949, Rooney began writing for Arthur Godfrey’s CBS radio and television programs including The Arthur Godfrey Talent Scouts and Arthur Godfrey and His Friends.

In the 1950s and 1960s, Rooney continued to work for the CBS Radio Network, CBS-TV, and CBS News. He wrote for Godfrey until 1955 and was a writer for The Garry Moore Show from 1959 to 1965. Rooney also contributed to The Moring Show with Will Rogers, Jr., News of America, Adventure, and The Twentieth Century. Rooney adapted E. B. White’s essay “Here is New York” for TV in 1957.

Rooney’s partnership with CBS newsman Harry Reasoner began in the early 1960s with Calendar, a live broadcast with Reasoner and Mary Fickett. From 1962 to 1968 Rooney worked as a writer and producer for CBS News, with Reasoner and Rooney collaborating on an array of television essays, a format that Rooney pioneered. Programs included “An Essay on Doors” (1964), “An Essay on Bridges,” (1965), “An Essay on Hotels” (1966), “An Essay on Women” (1967), “An Essay on Chairs” (1968), and “The Strange Case of the English Language” (1968). Rooney contributed two scripts to the series Of Black America in 1968. Narrated by Bill Cosby, “Black History: Lost, Stolen or Strayed” won Rooney both a Writers Guild Award and his first Emmy Award.

Throughout the 1970s, Rooney continued to write and produce television broadcast specials, including “An Essay on War” (1971), “In Praise of New York City” (1974), “Mr. Rooney Goes to Washington” (1975), “Mr. Rooney Goes to Dinner” (1976), and “Mr. Rooney Goes to Work” (1977). When CBS refused to air “An Essay on War” in 1970, Rooney bought the rights to it. The award-winning work aired on PBS’ The Great American Dream Machine in 1971 and marked the first time Rooney narrated his own work on air. “Mr. Rooney Goes to Washington” earned Rooney both a Peabody and Writers Guild Award.

Rooney’s affiliation with 60 Minutes began in 1968. Although Rooney moved from CBS to ABC in 1971, he rejoined CBS in 1972; he remained affiliated with the network for the rest of his career. Rooney became a regular on 60 Minutes in 1978, when his weekly segment, “A Few Minutes With Andy Rooney,” first aired. The segment, which occupied the final minutes of each broadcast, offered commentary about every day life as well as more serious political issues. He produced new segments until his retirement on October 2, 2011.

A prolific writer throughout his life, Rooney authored a twice-weekly syndicated newspaper column for the Tribune Media Services beginning in 1979. He also contributed articles to magazine such as Esquire, Life, Look, Reader's Digest, Harpers, and Playboy. Rooney was the author of 16 books: The Story of the Stars and Stripes; Air Gunner; Conquerors’ Peace; The Fortures of War; A Few Minutes With Andy Rooney; And More by Andy Rooney; Pieces of My Mind; Word for Word; Not That You Asked…; Sweet and Sour; My War; Sincerely, Andy Rooney; Common Nonsense; Years of Minutes; Out of My Mind; and Andy Rooney: 60 Years of Wisdom and Wit.

Over the course of his career, Rooney received numerous awards including the Bronze Star for World War II reporting, several Writers’ Guild Awards, a Peabody, the Ernie Pyle Lifetime Achievement Award, and several Emmy Awards. He died on November 4, 2011, only weeks after his final appearance on 60 Minutes.