Lester Holt is a well-known American journalist who anchors NBC Nightly News and Dateline. He is also the first Black person to solo anchor a weekday network nightly newscast. But do you know who his parents are and where they came from? In this article, we will explore the father family tree of Lester Holt and his parents’ diverse cultural backgrounds.
Lester Holt’s Father: Lester Don Holt Sr.
Lester Holt was born on March 8, 1959, at Hamilton Air Force Base near San Francisco, California. He was the youngest of four children born to June DeRozario and Lester Don Holt Sr. His father, Lester Sr., was an African American from Michigan, with roots in Tennessee. He served as a sergeant in the Air Force and was stationed in Da Nang during the Vietnam War. According to Distractify, Lester said that his father’s military service made him sensitive to the separation that military families face. He also said that he did not appreciate his father’s sacrifice enough when he was younger.
Lester Holt’s Mother: June DeRozario
Lester Holt’s mother, June, was of Jamaican descent. She was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and moved to the United States when she was a teenager. She worked as a regional planner and married Lester Sr. in 1956. June’s father, Canute DeRozario, was an Anglo-Indian from Spanish Town, Jamaica, having an Indo-Jamaican father from Calcutta, India, and a white English Jamaican mother from England. June’s mother, Ethel, was also of mixed ancestry, with African, English, Portuguese-Indian, and distant Scottish roots. According to EthniCelebs, Lester said that his maternal grandparents were born, raised, and married in Jamaica, and that his grandfather was one of 14 kids born to an Indian from Calcutta and a white English woman.
Lester Holt’s Siblings: Mike Swanigan and Others
Lester Holt has three brothers and one half-brother. His half-brother, Mike Swanigan, is eight years older than him and was born from June’s previous marriage. Mike is also a journalist and a former news director at KGW-TV in Portland, Oregon. In 2019, Mike interviewed Lester for one of his nightly reports, where they talked about their family and career. Lester also has three full brothers: David, Eric, and Stefan. David is a retired Air Force colonel, Eric is a software engineer, and Stefan is a news anchor at WMAQ-TV in Chicago.
Conclusion
Lester Holt is a successful and respected journalist who has a rich and diverse family background. His father was an African American Air Force sergeant who served in the Vietnam War, and his mother was a Jamaican immigrant with a complex mix of ethnicities. Lester also has four brothers, one of whom is also a journalist. Lester’s father family tree shows that he is a product of multiple cultures, beliefs, and stories that have shaped his perspective and personality.