Katharine Graham
Publisher
Katharine Graham headed the Washington Post from 1963 until 1993 and was one of the era's most prominent American women. Graham's father, the financier Eugene Meyer, bought the Post in 1933 and later passed it on to his daughter's husband, Philip Graham. When Graham committed suicide in 1963, Katharine Graham became one of the publishing world's few female executives. During her tenure the paper published the controversial Pentagon Papers and led the way in coverage of the Watergate scandal, which forced the resignation of President Richard Nixon. Graham also became a famous hostess, especially known for her dinner parties for presidents from Lyndon Johnson to George W. Bush. Her 1998 autobiography, Personal History, was awarded the year's Pulitzer Prize for biography. She died in 2001 from head injuries sustained when she fell on a sidewalk while attending a conference in Idaho.Extra credit: Graham and her husband were married in 1940 and had four children: Elizabeth (b. 1943, nicknamed 'Lally'), Donald (b. 1945), William (b. 1948) and Steven (b. 1952)... Elizabeth went on to write for the Post and Donald succeeded Katharine Graham as the paper's publisher (in 1979), CEO (in 1991) and chairman of the board (in 1993)... Graham was the guest of honor at Truman Capote's famous Black and White Ball in Manhattan in 1966.
Other publishers on Who2 include William Randolph Hearst, Robert Maxwell, Richard Scaife and John F. Kennedy, Jr.
Four Good Links
Katharine Graham Remembered
Washington Post archive of Graham articles and tributes
Katharine Graham Obituary
Lengthy New York Times recap of her life; free registration required
1998 Pulitzer Prize
Official site with Graham's citation and a mid-length biography
Q&A With Katharine Graham
Lively online chat based on the 1998 publication of her book
Vital Stats
Birth
Birthplace
Death
17 July 2001
(injuries from a fall, age 84)
Best Known As
Publisher of the Washington Post
