Born in New York City, Bourgholtzer attended
Indiana University Bloomington, where he majored in government and minored in economics and journalism. He graduated with a
Bachelor of Arts in 1940. From 1947 until 1953, he covered
President Truman. During the first live televised tour of the White House, Bourgholtzer persuaded the president to play on the piano in the East Room. From the early 1950s through the 1960s, Bourgholtzer worked overseas for NBC News and served as bureau chief in Paris, Bonn, Vienna, Moscow, and Yemen. In 1969 he joined NBC's Los Angeles bureau, where he stayed until retiring in 1986. After retirement, he continued to complete special news assignments, primarily focused on the Soviet Union. ==Awards and recognition==