The Remarkable Life and Family Story of Walter E. Nixon Jr.

Walter E. Nixon Jr. lived much of his life away from the spotlight, yet his story became connected to American culture and history through his only child, actress and activist Cynthia Nixon. Born on January 31, 1922, in Harlingen, Texas, Walter was a radio journalist whose career brought him into the center of some of the most significant public affairs broadcasting of the 1960s.

His life contained several distinct chapters. He experienced the loss of his father as a young child, grew up in a changing Texas family, eventually moved to New York, married actress and writer Anne Elizabeth Knoll, and became the father of a daughter who would grow into an Emmy, Tony, and Grammy winning performer. His professional life also placed him close to the civil rights movement through his work with WRVR FM, Riverside Radio.

I find Walter’s story particularly interesting because his public record is relatively small, but the pieces that survive reveal a life connected to journalism, family, theater, broadcasting, and social change.

Basic Information About Walter E. Nixon Jr.

Walter was not related to former U.S. President Richard Nixon despite their shared surname. His family history was rooted in Texas, while his later professional and family life became closely associated with New York City.

A Texas Childhood Shaped by Early Loss

Walter was born into a family whose circumstances changed dramatically during his childhood. His father, Walter Elmer Nixon Sr., was a railway engineer born in 1890. In 1929, when Walter Jr. was only about seven years old, his father died in an automobile accident in Harlingen.

The loss occurred at an age when a child is still forming his understanding of family and security. Walter’s mother, Grace Truman McCormack, later married Robert Emerson Buckles. Through that marriage, Walter became part of a larger blended family that included half siblings such as Gail, Robert, and Eugene Buckles.

The available details about Walter’s schooling and early adulthood are limited. There is no extensive public record describing his education, military service, or first jobs. What can be traced more clearly is his eventual movement toward New York and broadcasting.

That transition from Texas to New York marked an important change. He moved from a comparatively private family background into an urban environment where radio journalism was becoming an increasingly influential form of communication.

Marriage to Anne Elizabeth Knoll

Walter married Anne Elizabeth Knoll, an actress, writer, and researcher who was born in Chicago on June 13, 1930. Anne was the daughter of Adolph Knoll and Etta Elizabeth Williams, and she developed an eclectic professional life that extended well beyond acting.

She studied at the Yale School of Drama and was part of the class of 1954. Her career included publishing, television, research, education, and work with the Girl Scouts. She was associated with Mademoiselle magazine and worked for Goodson Todman Productions, where she coached impostors appearing on the television game show To Tell the Truth.

Walter and Anne had one child, Cynthia Ellen Nixon, born in New York City on April 9, 1966.

Their marriage eventually ended in divorce when Cynthia was approximately six years old, around 1972. Afterward, Anne became the principal parent in Cynthia’s household. The family lived in New York, including the Upper West Side and Yorkville areas.

Anne was remembered as a culturally curious and supportive mother. She encouraged Cynthia’s interest in acting from an early age, helping create the environment in which her daughter’s theatrical career could develop.

Anne later had a long relationship with David Rind, her partner for approximately 37 years by the time of her death in January 2013. She died in New York at the age of 82.

Walter E. Nixon Jr. as a Father

Walter’s relationship with Cynthia was different from Anne’s day to day role. After the divorce, Cynthia remained primarily with her mother, while Walter continued to maintain contact with his daughter.

Later descriptions of Walter sometimes portray him as unemployed or underemployed. Yet Cynthia has also spoken warmly about his affection toward her. The picture that emerges is not simply that of an absent father, but of a parent whose role changed after the divorce while his emotional attachment to his daughter remained.

Cynthia’s recollections have helped preserve details about Walter that otherwise might have disappeared. In particular, she remembered his affectionate nature and the way he doted on her.

On January 31, 2022, the 100th anniversary of Walter’s birth, Cynthia publicly remembered her father and highlighted his work in radio. That tribute helped bring renewed attention to a man whose professional career had largely faded from public view.

Walter’s Radio Journalism Career

Walter’s NY radio journalism career was his most notable.

Riverside Radio (WRVR FM), a noncommercial station sponsored by The Riverside Church, had his affiliation. The station began airing in 1961 and specialized in public affairs, music, religion, news, and culture.

Walter covered civil rights and foreign affairs for the station’s news operation. His job led him out of the studio and into nature.

I find this most historically significant in his biography. Walter reported more than common news. He broadcast when American radio was reporting massive social and political developments.

Birmingham and the Civil Rights Movement

One of Walter’s clearest professional achievements was his involvement in Birmingham: Testament of Nonviolence, a six hour documentary series produced in 1963.

The program focused on the Birmingham campaign in Alabama, one of the defining confrontations of the American civil rights movement. Walter worked with WRVR general manager Jack Summerfield on reporting from Birmingham.

The documentary captured events surrounding the Southern Christian Leadership Conference campaign, including demonstrations, mass arrests, police violence, negotiations, bombings, speeches, and the aftermath of the protests.

Rather than relying heavily on a conventional narrator, the production used extensive actuality recordings. Voices, speeches, crowds, sirens, bullhorns, interviews, and street sounds formed the structure of the reporting.

That approach gave the broadcasts a sense of immediacy. Listeners were not merely being told that something was happening in Birmingham. They could hear the environment surrounding the events.

The series included coverage of the May 10, 1963, mass meeting following negotiations over desegregation and other issues. Speakers included Martin Luther King Jr. and Ralph Abernathy. Other segments addressed the Ku Klux Klan, bombings, local reactions, and the experiences of students involved in the Children’s Crusade.

The documentary became an important part of WRVR’s broader public affairs work and contributed to the station receiving a Peabody Award in 1964 for its programming.

Other WRVR Public Affairs Work

The Birmingham documentary was not an isolated project. WRVR developed a reputation for extended coverage of civil rights, race relations, urban affairs, religion, international affairs, and other social issues.

Walter’s work included reporting connected with civil rights organizations and events outside Birmingham. WRVR also carried material from Washington, the BBC, the National Council of Churches, and other organizations.

The station’s location in New York was advantageous. Its proximity to universities, theological institutions, the United Nations, and a large network of activists and public intellectuals gave its newsroom access to a wide range of voices.

The station’s programming eventually extended into subjects including antiwar activism, women’s rights, and emerging LGBTQ issues.

Walter’s career therefore sits within an important period in American broadcasting, when noncommercial radio could devote considerable airtime to subjects that commercial outlets sometimes treated more briefly.

Cynthia Nixon and Her Public Career

In New York City, Cynthia Ellen Nixon was born April 9, 1966. She was a theatrical, film, and TV actress.

Her role as Miranda Hobbes on Sex and the City made her famous. She received Emmy and Tony Awards for the performance, which made her famous worldwide. She also won a Grammy.

Television has never been her only career. She has vast theatrical and cinema experience and remains active in public activism.

Cynthia is also known for her schooling, LGBTQ, and progressive political activity. She failed to become New York governor in 2018.

Cynthia has talked about her parents’ effect on her, especially her mother’s role in raising her and her father’s love, throughout her career.

Walter’s Grandchildren

Walter E. Nixon Jr. became a grandfather through Cynthia’s family.

Samuel Joseph Mozes

Samuel Joseph “Seph” Mozes was born in 1996 to Cynthia Nixon and her former partner Danny Mozes. Cynthia and Mozes were together for approximately 15 years, from around 1988 to 2003.

Samuel was publicly affirmed by Cynthia as transgender in 2018. He later graduated from the University of Chicago.

His public story represents another generation of the Nixon family, although he has maintained considerably more privacy than his mother.

Charles Ezekiel Mozes

Charles Ezekiel Mozes was born in 2002 to Cynthia and Danny Mozes. He is Cynthia’s second child from that relationship.

Like much of the extended family, Charles has generally lived outside the intense level of public attention surrounding his mother.

Max Ellington Nixon Marinoni

Max Ellington Nixon Marinoni was born on February 7, 2011. He is Cynthia’s son with Christine Marinoni, an education activist and LGBTQ advocate.

Cynthia and Christine married on May 27, 2012. Their relationship began after Cynthia’s separation from Danny Mozes, and the couple became prominent advocates for family equality and education.

Christine carried Max after earlier miscarriages. Some reports have identified costume designer Michael Growler as Max’s biological father.

Max was born 13 years after Walter Nixon’s death, meaning Walter never met his youngest grandson.

Christine Marinoni and the Next Generation

Christine Marinoni occupies an important place in Walter’s extended family because of her marriage to Cynthia.

Marinoni’s professional background in education advocacy complements Cynthia’s public activism. Together, they have appeared publicly as advocates for LGBTQ families and educational causes.

Through Cynthia and Christine, Walter’s family story extends beyond the world of theater and journalism into contemporary debates surrounding family, education, and equality.

A Family History Revisited Through Genealogy

Cynthia’s paternal family history received additional attention through the television genealogy program Who Do You Think You Are?

Research into her Nixon line reached back several generations and uncovered stories that were far removed from Walter’s twentieth century life in New York.

One particularly dramatic ancestor was Martha Curnutt, also identified in genealogical material as Martha Casto. In the 1840s in Missouri, she killed her abusive husband with an axe and was later pardoned.

The story provides a striking contrast to Walter’s own relatively quiet public profile. His family tree contained difficult and dramatic chapters that were largely invisible during his lifetime.

Walter Nixon’s Final Years and Death

Walter spent his last years in New York. Limited information is available concerning his career and personal life during this time.

His death occurred in New York City on February 8, 1998. His age was 76.

His death predates Cynthia Nixon’s most prominent public roles. Sex and the City’s international triumph and his daughter’s many honors were not his to see.

His effect lingered in Cynthia’s life. His legacy lives on through his daughter’s memories, family archives, and the radio work he helped develop.

Timeline of Walter E. Nixon Jr.’s Life

Frequently Asked Questions

Who was Walter E. Nixon Jr.?

Walter E. Nixon Jr. was an American radio journalist born in Harlingen, Texas, on January 31, 1922. He later worked in New York radio, including WRVR FM, and became known in part for his involvement in civil rights and public affairs broadcasting.

Was Walter E. Nixon Jr. related to President Richard Nixon?

No. Despite sharing the surname Nixon, Walter E. Nixon Jr. was not related to former President Richard Nixon.

Who was Walter Nixon’s wife?

His wife was Anne Elizabeth Knoll, an actress, writer, and researcher born in Chicago in 1930. She later became the primary parent in raising their daughter Cynthia after the couple divorced.

Who was Walter Nixon’s daughter?

His only child was Cynthia Ellen Nixon, born April 9, 1966, in New York City. She became an award winning actress best known for playing Miranda Hobbes on Sex and the City and later became a prominent activist.

How many grandchildren did Walter Nixon have?

Walter had at least three grandchildren through Cynthia Nixon: Samuel Joseph Mozes, Charles Ezekiel Mozes, and Max Ellington Nixon Marinoni.

What did Walter Nixon do for a living?

Walter worked as a radio journalist. His most notable documented association was with WRVR FM, Riverside Radio, in New York City.

What was Walter Nixon’s role in the Birmingham documentary?

Walter worked with WRVR general manager Jack Summerfield on Birmingham: Testament of Nonviolence, a six hour documentary recorded during the 1963 Birmingham civil rights campaign. The program used extensive field recordings, interviews, speeches, and ambient sound.

When did Walter E. Nixon Jr. die?

Walter E. Nixon Jr. died on February 8, 1998, in New York City. He was 76 years old.

What happened to Walter Nixon’s parents?

His father, Walter Elmer Nixon Sr., died in an automobile accident in 1929 when Walter Jr. was approximately seven years old. His mother, Grace Truman McCormack, later married Robert Emerson Buckles.

Why is Walter Nixon remembered today?

Walter is remembered primarily as Cynthia Nixon’s father and as a radio journalist connected with WRVR’s important public affairs and civil rights programming during the 1960s. His involvement in the Birmingham broadcasts represents the most substantial surviving record of his professional contribution.