Katharine Graham - wikipedia Katharine Graham Katharine Graham Graham in 2000 Katharine Meyer ( 1917 - 06 - 16 ) June 16, 1917 New York City ( 2001 - 07 - 17 ) July 17, 2001 ( aged 84 ) Boise, Idaho Education University of Chicago Vassar College Occupation Publisher Spouse ( s ) Philip Graham ( 1915 -- 1963 ) Children Lally Weymouth Donald E. Graham William Welsh Graham Stephen Meyer Graham Parent ( s ) Agnes Ernst Meyer Eugene Meyer Katharine Meyer `` Kay '' Graham ( née Meyer ; June 16, 1917 -- July 17, 2001 ) was an American publisher and the first female publisher of a major American newspaper. She led her family 's newspaper, The Washington Post, for more than two decades, overseeing its most famous period : the Watergate coverage that eventually led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon. Her memoir, Personal History, won the Pulitzer Prize in 1998. Contents 1 Early life, education, early career 2 Personal life 3 Leadership of The Washington Post 3.1 Social life and politics 3.2 Philip Graham 's illness and death 3.3 Leadership of the Post 3.4 Watergate 4 Other accomplishments and recognition 5 Death 6 Notes 7 References 8 External links Early life, education, early career Graham was born in 1917 into a wealthy family in New York City, to Agnes Elizabeth ( née Ernst ) and Eugene Meyer. Graham 's father was a financier and, later, a public official ; his grandfather was Joseph Newmark. He bought The Washington Post in 1933 at a bankruptcy auction. Graham 's mother was a bohemian intellectual, art lover, and political activist in the Republican Party, who shared friendships with people as diverse as Auguste Rodin, Marie Curie, Thomas Mann, Albert Einstein and Eleanor Roosevelt, and worked as a newspaper reporter at a time when journalism was an uncommon profession among women. Graham 's father was Jewish and her mother was Lutheran, from a family of German descent. Along with her four siblings, Graham was baptized as a Lutheran but attended an Episcopal church. Her siblings included Florence Meyer, Eugene Meyer III ( Bill ), Ruth Meyer and Elizabeth Meyer. Graham 's parents owned several homes across the country, but primarily lived between a veritable `` castle '' in Mount Kisco, New York, and a smaller home in Washington, D.C. Graham often did not see much of her parents during her childhood, as both traveled and socialized extensively, and was raised in part by nannies, governesses and tutors. Katharine endured a strained relationship with her mother. Agnes Meyer was reportedly very negative and condescending towards Katharine, which had a negative impact on Katharine 's self - confidence. Her elder sister Florence Meyer ( 1911 -- 1962 ) was a successful photographer and wife of actor Oscar Homolka. Graham was an alumna of The Madeira School ( to which her father had donated much land ) and attended Vassar College before transferring to the University of Chicago. In Chicago, she became quite interested in labor issues and shared friendships with people from walks of life very different from her own. After graduation, she worked for a short period at a San Francisco newspaper where, among other things, she helped cover a major strike by wharf workers. Her father 's sister, Florence Meyer Blumenthal, founded the Prix Blumenthal, given to painters, sculptors, decorators, engravers, writers, and musicians during the period of 1919 - 1954. Graham began working for the Post in 1938. While in Washington, D.C., she met a former schoolmate, Will Lang, Jr. The two dated, but broke off the relationship due to conflicting interests. Personal life On June 5, 1940, she was married in a Lutheran ceremony, to Philip Graham, a graduate of Harvard Law School and a clerk for Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter. They had a daughter, Lally Morris Weymouth ( born 1943 ), and three sons : Donald Edward Graham ( born 1945 ), William Welsh Graham ( 1948 - 2017 ) and Stephen Meyer Graham ( born 1952 ). She was affiliated as a Lutheran. Leadership of the Washington Post Philip Graham became publisher of the Post in 1946, when Eugene Meyer handed over the newspaper to his son - in - law. Katharine recounts in her autobiography, Personal History, how she did not feel slighted by the fact her father gave the Post to Philip rather than her : `` Far from troubling me that my father thought of my husband and not me, it pleased me. In fact, it never crossed my mind that he might have viewed me as someone to take on an important job at the paper. '' Meyer went on to become the head of the World Bank, but left that position only six months later. He was Chairman of the Washington Post Company until his death in 1959, when Philip Graham took that position and the company expanded with the purchases of television stations and Newsweek magazine. Social life and politics The Grahams were important members of the Washington social scene, becoming friends with John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Robert F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Robert McNamara, Henry Kissinger, Ronald Reagan, and Nancy Reagan among many others. In her 1997 autobiography, Graham comments several times about how close her husband was to politicians of his day ( he was instrumental, for example, in getting Johnson to be the Democratic vice presidential nominee in 1960 ), and how such personal closeness with politicians later became unacceptable in journalism. She tried to push lawyer Edward Bennett Williams into the role of Washington D.C. 's first commissioner mayor in 1967. The position went to Howard University - educated lawyer Walter Washington. Graham was also known for a long - time friendship with Warren Buffett, whose Berkshire Hathaway owned a substantial stake in the Post. Philip Graham 's illness and death Philip Graham dealt with alcoholism and mental illness throughout his marriage to Katharine. He had mood swings and often belittled her. On Christmas Eve in 1962, Katharine found out her husband was having an affair with Robin Webb, an Australian stringer for Newsweek. Philip declared that he would divorce Katharine for Robin and he made motions to divide up the couple 's assets. At a newspaper conference in Phoenix, Arizona, Philip apparently had a nervous breakdown. He was sedated, flown back to Washington, and placed in the Chestnut Lodge psychiatric facility near Washington, D.C. On August 3, 1963, he died by suicide with a shotgun at the couple 's Glen Welby home. Katharine Graham never remarried. Leadership of the Post Katharine Graham assumed the reins of the company and of the Post after Philip Graham 's suicide. She was de facto publisher of the newspaper from 1963 onward, held the title of president from at least 1967, then formally held the title of publisher from 1969 to 1979 and that of chairwoman of the board from 1973 to 1991. She became the first female Fortune 500 CEO in 1972, as CEO of the Washington Post company. As the only woman to be in such a high position at a publishing company, she had no female role models and had difficulty being taken seriously by many of her male colleagues and employees. Graham outlined in her memoir her lack of confidence and distrust in her own knowledge. The convergence of the women 's movement with Graham 's control of the Post brought about changes in Graham 's attitude and also led her to promote gender equality within her company. Graham hired Benjamin Bradlee as editor and cultivated Warren Buffett for his financial advice ; he became a major shareholder and something of an eminence grise in the company. Her son Donald was publisher from 1979 to 2000. Watergate Graham presided over the Post at a crucial time in its history. The Post played an integral role in unveiling the Watergate conspiracy which ultimately led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon. Graham and editor Bradlee first experienced challenges when they published the content of the Pentagon Papers. When Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein brought the Watergate story to Bradlee, Graham supported their investigative reporting and Bradlee ran stories about Watergate when few other news outlets were reporting on the matter. In conjunction with the Watergate scandal, Graham was the subject of one of the best - known threats in American journalistic history. It occurred in 1972, when Nixon 's attorney general, John Mitchell, warned reporter Carl Bernstein about a forthcoming article : `` Katie Graham 's gon na get her tit caught in a big fat wringer if that 's published. '' The Post published the quote, although Bradlee cut the words her tit. Graham later observed that it was `` especially strange of ( Mitchell ) to call me Katie, which no one has ever called me. '' Other accomplishments and recognition Graham 's headstone ( far left ), located beside the Oak Hill Cemetery Chapel in Washington, D.C. Graham had strong links to the Rockefeller family, serving both as a member of the Rockefeller University council and as a close friend of the Museum of Modern Art, where she was honored as a recipient of the David Rockefeller Award for enlightened generosity and advocacy of cultural and civic endeavors ( see External links below ). In 1966, Graham was the ostensible honoree of Truman Capote 's Black and White Ball. In 1973, Graham received the Elijah Parish Lovejoy Award as well as an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Colby College. In 1975, Graham received the S. Roger Horchow Award for Greatest Public Service by a Private Citizen, an award given out annually by Jefferson Awards. In 1979, the Supersisters trading card set was produced and distributed ; one of the cards featured Graham 's name and picture. In 1979, Deborah Davis published a book titled Katharine the Great about Graham. In 1987, Graham won the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism. In 1988, Graham was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Graham published her memoirs, Personal History, in 1997. The book was praised for its honest portrayal of Philip Graham 's mental illness and received rave reviews for her depiction of her life, as well as a glimpse into how the roles of women have changed over the course of Graham 's life. The book won the Pulitzer Prize in 1998. In 1997, she received the Freedom medal. In 2000, Graham was named as one of the International Press Institute 's 50 World Press Freedom Heroes of the past 50 years. In 2002, Graham was presented, posthumously, with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush. In 2002, Graham was inducted into the National Women 's Hall of Fame. In 2017, Graham was portrayed by Meryl Streep in the Steven Spielberg film The Post. Streep was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress ( among other awards ) for her work. Death In 2001, Graham fell and struck her head while visiting Sun Valley, Idaho ; she died three days later. Her funeral took place at the Washington National Cathedral. Graham is buried in historic Oak Hill Cemetery, across the street from her former home in Georgetown. Notes Jump up ^ Hodgson, Godfrey ( July 18, 2001 ). `` Obituary : Katharine Graham ''. The Guardian. London. Jump up ^ Smith, J.Y. & Epstein, Noel ( July 18, 2001 ). `` Katharine Graham Dies at 84. '' Washpostco.com, Washington Post Company website. Retrieved April 18, 2012. Jump up ^ `` ' Washington Post ' icon Katharine Graham, 84, dies ''. USA Today. July 18, 2001. Jump up ^ USA Today : `` Personal History '' By Katharine Graham July 17, 2001 ^ Jump up to : Zweigenhaft, Richard L. and G. William Domhoff The New CEOs : Women, African American, Latino, and Asian American Leaders of Fortune 500 Companies Published : 2014 - 03 - 18 Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Jump up ^ `` Florence Meyer Blumenthal ''. Jewish Women 's Archive, Michele Siegel. Jump up ^ Silbiger, Steve ( May 25, 2000 ). The Jewish Phenomenon : Seven Keys to the Enduring Wealth of a People. Taylor Trade Publishing. p. 190. Jump up ^ Graham, Katharine. Personal History. New York : A.A. Knopf, 1997. Print. ^ Jump up to : Rich, Frank. `` Frank Rich - Latest Columns and Features on NYMag.com - New York Magazine ''. Nymag.com. Retrieved 2015 - 07 - 31. Jump up ^ `` Berkshire Hathaway to swap stock for TV station in deal with Graham Holdings ''. Washington Post. Retrieved 2017 - 01 - 23. ^ Jump up to : Felsenthal, Carol. Power, Privilege, and the Post : the Katharine Graham Story. New York : Putnam 's, 1993. Print. ^ Jump up to : Graham, K., Personal History, Vintage Books 1998 Jump up ^ New York Times : `` Philip Graham, 48, Publisher, a Suicide '' August 4, 1963 Jump up ^ `` The Impulse Factor ''. Retrieved 30 October 2014. Jump up ^ Firsts for U.S. Women Archived March 12, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. ^ Jump up to : Graham, Katharine ( 28 January 1997 ). `` The Watergate Watershed : A Turning Point for a Nation and a Newspaper ''. Washington Post. p. D01. Retrieved 17 October 2017. Jump up ^ `` WashingtonPost.com : Mitchell Controlled Secret GOP Fund ''. Retrieved 30 October 2014. Jump up ^ `` Jefferson Awards ''. Retrieved 30 October 2014. Jump up ^ Wulf, Steve ( 2015 - 03 - 23 ). `` Supersisters : Original Roster ''. Espn.go.com. Retrieved 2015 - 06 - 04. Jump up ^ Arizona State University. `` Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication ''. Retrieved November 23, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Book of Members, 1780 -- 2010 : Chapter G '' ( PDF ). American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Retrieved July 25, 2014. Jump up ^ `` World Press Freedom Heroes : Symbols of courage in global journalism ''. International Press Institute. 2012. Archived from the original on 16 January 2012. Retrieved 26 January 2012. Jump up ^ https://www.womenofthehall.org/inductee/katharine-graham/ Jump up ^ Berger, Marilyn ( July 18, 2001 ). `` Katharine Graham, Former Publisher of Washington Post, Dies at 84 ''. NY Times. Jump up ^ `` Final Farewell To Katharine Graham ''. cbsnews.com. Associated Press. July 23, 2001. Retrieved July 19, 2009. Jump up ^ Van Dyne, Larry ( August 1, 2007 ). `` Into the Sunset : Arrangements and Options for the Afterlife ''. The Washingtonian. washingtonian.com. Retrieved July 19, 2009. References Graham, Katharine ( 1997 ). Personal History. New York : Knopf. ISBN 0 - 394 - 58585 - 2. Bradlee, Ben ( 1995 ). A Good Life : Newspapering and Other Adventures. New York : Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0 - 684 - 80894 - 3. Gerber, Robin ( 2005 ). Katharine Graham : The Leadership Journey of an American Icon. New York : Portfolio. ISBN 1 - 59184 - 104 - 6. External links Wikiquote has quotations related to : Katharine Graham Charlie Rose 's interview with Katharine Graham, year - 1997 Appearances on C - SPAN Booknotes interview with Graham on Personal History, February 16, 1997. New York Times Paid Death Notices : July 18, 2001 Inserted by Rockefeller University and the Museum of Modern Art. Katharine the Great -- slate.com The high life of Katharine Graham Joan Didion is writing the screenplay for HBO 's upcoming Katharine Graham biopic. The University of Chicago : Presidential Medal of Freedom Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography ( 1976 -- 2000 ) R.W.B. Lewis ( 1976 ) John E. Mack ( 1977 ) Walter Jackson Bate ( 1978 ) Leonard Baker ( 1979 ) Edmund Morris ( 1980 ) Robert K. Massie ( 1981 ) William S. McFeely ( 1982 ) Russell Baker ( 1983 ) Louis R. Harlan ( 1984 ) Kenneth Silverman ( 1985 ) Elizabeth Frank ( 1986 ) David J. Garrow ( 1987 ) David Herbert Donald ( 1988 ) Richard Ellmann ( 1989 ) Sebastian de Grazia ( 1990 ) Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith ( 1991 ) Lewis B. Puller ( 1992 ) David McCullough ( 1993 ) David Levering Lewis ( 1994 ) Joan D. Hedrick ( 1995 ) Jack Miles ( 1996 ) Frank McCourt ( 1997 ) Katharine Graham ( 1998 ) A. Scott Berg ( 1999 ) Stacy Schiff ( 2000 ) Complete list ( 1917 -- 1925 ) ( 1926 -- 1950 ) ( 1951 -- 1975 ) ( 1976 -- 2000 ) ( 2001 -- 2025 ) Inductees to the National Women 's Hall of Fame 1970 -- 1979 1973 Jane Addams Marian Anderson Susan B. Anthony Clara Barton Mary McLeod Bethune Elizabeth Blackwell Pearl S. Buck Rachel Carson Mary Cassatt Emily Dickinson Amelia Earhart Alice Hamilton Helen Hayes Helen Keller Eleanor Roosevelt Florence Sabin Margaret Chase Smith Elizabeth Cady Stanton Helen Brooke Taussig Harriet Tubman 1976 Abigail Adams Margaret Mead Mildred `` Babe '' Didrikson Zaharias 1979 Dorothea Dix Juliette Gordon Low Alice Paul Elizabeth Bayley Seton 1980 -- 1989 1981 Margaret Sanger Sojourner Truth 1982 Carrie Chapman Catt Frances Perkins Belva Lockwood Lucretia Mott 1984 Mary `` Mother '' Harris Jones Bessie Smith 1986 Barbara McClintock Lucy Stone Harriet Beecher Stowe Gwendolyn Brooks Willa Cather Sally Ride Ida B. Wells - Barnett 1990 -- 1999 Margaret Bourke - White Barbara Jordan Billie Jean King Florence B. Seibert 1991 Gertrude Belle Elion Ethel Percy Andrus Antoinette Blackwell Emily Blackwell Shirley Chisholm Jacqueline Cochran Ruth Colvin Marian Wright Edelman Alice Evans Betty Friedan Ella Grasso Martha Wright Griffiths Fannie Lou Hamer Dorothy Height Dolores Huerta Mary Jacobi Mae Jemison Mary Lyon Mary Mahoney Wilma Mankiller Constance Baker Motley Georgia O'Keeffe Annie Oakley Rosa Parks Esther Peterson Jeannette Rankin Ellen Swallow Richards Elaine Roulet Katherine Siva Saubel Gloria Steinem Helen Stephens Lillian Wald Madam C.J. Walker Faye Wattleton Rosalyn S. Yalow Gloria Yerkovich Bella Abzug Ella Baker Myra Bradwell Annie Jump Cannon Jane Cunningham Croly Catherine East Geraldine Ferraro Charlotte Perkins Gilman Grace Hopper Helen LaKelly Hunt Zora Neale Hurston Anne Hutchinson Frances Wisebart Jacobs Susette La Flesche Louise McManus Maria Mitchell Antonia Novello Linda Richards Wilma Rudolph Betty Bone Schiess Muriel Siebert Nettie Stevens Oprah Winfrey Sarah Winnemucca Fanny Wright 1995 Virginia Apgar Ann Bancroft Amelia Bloomer Mary Breckinridge Eileen Collins Elizabeth Hanford Dole Anne Dallas Dudley Mary Baker Eddy Ella Fitzgerald Margaret Fuller Matilda Joslyn Gage Lillian Moller Gilbreth Nannerl O. Keohane Maggie Kuhn Sandra Day O'Connor Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin Pat Schroeder Hannah Greenebaum Solomon Louisa May Alcott Charlotte Anne Bunch Frances Xavier Cabrini Mary A. Hallaren Oveta Culp Hobby Wilhelmina Cole Holladay Anne Morrow Lindbergh Maria Goeppert - Mayer Ernestine Louise Potowski Rose Maria Tallchief Edith Wharton 1998 Madeleine Albright Maya Angelou Nellie Bly Lydia Moss Bradley Mary Steichen Calderone Mary Ann Shadd Cary Joan Ganz Cooney Gerty Cori Sarah Grimké Julia Ward Howe Shirley Ann Jackson Shannon Lucid Katharine Dexter McCormick Rozanne L. Ridgway Edith Nourse Rogers Felice Schwartz Eunice Kennedy Shriver Beverly Sills Florence Wald Angelina Grimké Weld Chien - Shiung Wu 2000 -- 2009 2000 Faye Glenn Abdellah Emma Smith DeVoe Marjory Stoneman Douglas Mary Dyer Sylvia A. Earle Crystal Eastman Jeanne Holm Leontine T. Kelly Frances Oldham Kelsey Kate Mullany Janet Reno Anna Howard Shaw Sophia Smith Ida Tarbell Wilma L. Vaught Mary Edwards Walker Annie Dodge Wauneka Eudora Welty Frances E. Willard Dorothy H. Andersen Lucille Ball Rosalynn Carter Lydia Maria Child Bessie Coleman Dorothy Day Marian de Forest Althea Gibson Beatrice A. Hicks Barbara Holdridge Harriet Williams Russell Strong Emily Howell Warner Victoria Woodhull 2002 Paulina Kellogg Wright Davis Ruth Bader Ginsburg Katharine Graham Bertha Holt Mary Engle Pennington Mercy Otis Warren 2003 Linda G. Alvarado Donna de Varona Gertrude Ederle Martha Matilda Harper Patricia Roberts Harris Stephanie L. Kwolek Dorothea Lange Mildred Robbins Leet Patsy Takemoto Mink Sacagawea Anne Sullivan Sheila E. Widnall 2005 Florence Ellinwood Allen Ruth Fulton Benedict Betty Bumpers Hillary Clinton Rita Rossi Colwell Mother Marianne Cope Maya Y. Lin Patricia A. Locke Blanche Stuart Scott Mary Burnett Talbert 2007 Eleanor K. Baum Julia Child Martha Coffin Pelham Wright Swanee Hunt Winona LaDuke Elisabeth Kübler - Ross Judith L. Pipher Catherine Filene Shouse Henrietta Szold 2009 Louise Bourgeois Mildred Cohn Karen DeCrow Susan Kelly - Dreiss Allie B. Latimer Emma Lazarus Ruth Patrick Rebecca Talbot Perkins Susan Solomon Kate Stoneman 2010 -- 2019 2011 St. Katharine Drexel Dorothy Harrison Eustis Loretta C. Ford Abby Kelley Foster Helen Murray Free Billie Holiday Coretta Scott King Lilly Ledbetter Barbara A. Mikulski Donna E. Shalala Kathrine Switzer 2013 Betty Ford Ina May Gaskin Julie Krone Kate Millett Nancy Pelosi Mary Joseph Rogers Bernice Sandler Anna Schwartz Emma Willard 2015 Tenley Albright Nancy Brinker Martha Graham Marcia Greenberger Barbara Iglewski Jean Kilbourne Carlotta Walls LaNier Philippa Marrack Mary Harriman Rumsey Eleanor Smeal 2017 Matilda Cuomo Temple Grandin Lorraine Hansberry Victoria Jackson Sherry Lansing Clare Boothe Luce Aimee Mullins Carol Mutter Janet Rowley Alice Waters VIAF : 115577779 LCCN : n79109289 ISNI : 0000 0001 1455 5435 GND : 119069245 SUDOC : 07990307X BIBSYS : 90671585 NDL : 00665084 SNAC : w65h7qtn Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Katharine_Graham&oldid=835673772 '' Categories : 1917 births 2001 deaths Accidental deaths from falls Accidental deaths in Idaho American mass media owners American newspaper publishers ( people ) American people of Alsatian - Jewish descent Burials at Oak Hill Cemetery Elijah Parish Lovejoy Award recipients Graham family ( newspapers ) Journalists from Washington, D.C. People from Mount Kisco, New York Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography winners University of Chicago alumni Vassar College alumni The Washington Post publishers American people of German descent Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences American memoirists Women memoirists 20th - century American writers 20th - century women writers Madeira School alumni Watergate scandal investigators Pulitzer Prize winners Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links Articles with hCards Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with ISNI identifiers Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Wikipedia articles with BIBSYS identifiers Wikipedia articles with SNAC - ID identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Wikiquote Asturianu Català Deutsch Español Euskara فارسی Français 한국어 עברית Latviešu Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Polski Português Runa Simi Suomi Svenska தமிழ் Türkçe 中文 13 more Edit links This page was last edited on 10 April 2018, at 02 : 34. 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Question: who was the woman who ran the washington post
Answer: Katharine Meyer "Kay" Graham