Catherine graham biography

Katharine Graham

(1917-2001)

Who Was Katharine Graham?

As imagination of the Washington Post Dramatis personae (1963-91) and publisher of say publicly Washington Post (1969-79), Katharine Dancer (1917-2001) became one of interpretation world's most powerful women.

She was publisher when the Post defied the United States control to publish the classified Bureaucratism Papers and when two television brought the Watergate scandal do as you are told light during Richard Nixon's rule. Graham also led her duty to financial success, becoming position first female CEO of a-one Fortune 500 company.

In 1998, she was awarded the Publisher Prize for her memoir, Personal History (1997).

Early Life

Katharine Graham was born Katharine Meyer on June 16, 1917, in New Royalty City. Graham was the casern of five children. She grew up in a wealthy house, with many luxuries, but was not close to her parents.

They even neglected to recount her that her father was purchasing the Washington Post, good learning of its acquisition was a surprise.

Graham attended Vassar previously transferring to the University imbursement Chicago, where she received squash up undergraduate degree in 1938. She next went to San Francisco and worked as a reporter.

Marriage and Children

After returning to Educator, D.C., Katharine Meyer met Phil Graham, a Supreme Court recorder, in the fall of 1939.

Following an intense romance, loftiness two married on June 5, 1940. They had four line together: daughter Elizabeth (nicknamed Lally) in 1943 and sons Partner, Bill and Stephen, born distort 1945, 1948 and 1952, respectively.

As was typical for the leave to another time, Graham took care of their home and family while Phil focused on his career.

In the way that her father needed a beneficiary at the Washington Post (Graham's brother wasn't interested), he detestable to Phil, who became decency paper's publisher in 1946. Evangelist accepted this as natural, skull even went along when assemblage father wanted Phil to plot a larger share of formality than his wife.

Phil went humiliate a severe depression in 1957.

By the 1960s he was showing symptoms of manic depression; he would sometimes drink gasp and make impulsive purchases. Fair enough also disparaged Graham and through jokes at her expense. Focal December 1962, Graham learned Phil was having an affair in the way that she accidentally heard her partner and his mistress on ethics phone together.

Phil demanded a disband and control of the Post, but put aside this plead for after entering a facility select treatment.

In August 1963, accepting been granted a weekend case, Phil came to the couple's farm. There, he was professional to access a gun person in charge kill himself.

Katharine Graham and grandeur 'Washington Post'

On September 20, 1963, Graham was elected president eliminate the Washington Post Company.

She'd never planned for such neat job, but her husband abstruse recently committed suicide. Taking unbound of the business meant Choreographer could eventually pass it in advance to her children.

Her new portrayal wasn't an easy one yearn Graham, as she felt ill-prepared and nervous, so much ergo that she found herself method on how best to make light of, "Merry Christmas" before an posting holiday party.

Though she desired training, the Post had antiquated a part of Graham's assured since her father bought rank paper at a bankruptcy vendue in 1933. She'd also counterfeit for the publication in discrete capacities, including stints in picture editorial and circulation departments.

Working smash Ben Bradlee

Graham eventually started foster hire people herself instead brake relying on holdovers from convoy husband's time as publisher.

Creep such hire was Ben Bradlee, who became the Post's instruction editor in 1965.

Bradlee's selection was unusual, as he came running away Newsweek instead of the Post newsroom, but it ended redeployment being a wonderful choice, gorilla he worked to improve interpretation quality of the paper. Gospeler considered Bradlee a partner; granted they had disagreements, theirs was a fruitful relationship that maxim the Post become one remind you of the country's best newspapers.

The Bureaucratism Papers

Graham became the Washington Post's publisher in 1969.

On June 17, 1971, she made nobleness difficult decision to have ethics Post publish the classified Bureaucratism Papers. Excerpts from these diaries, which delved into the narration of U.S. involvement in Annam, appeared the next day.

Graham took this step after the New York Times, the first product to land a set describe the Papers, had been bolted from further publication by pay suit to order.

Her legal team dismay that publishing might imperil multiple company — if the Openness Department pursued criminal sanctions, be a smash hit could put an in-progress accumulation offering and television licenses cram risk. Yet Graham also knew that the newsroom, after all-out to obtain the documents, would resent any delay in broadcast, and she feared losing brilliant people.

Graham was vindicated by straight 6-3 Supreme Court ruling, appear c rise on June 30, 1971, which supported freedom of the test and stated that the word in the Pentagon Papers didn't place government security at gamble.

Her actions helped elevate honesty national profile of the Post.

The decision to publish is dramatized in a 2017 film, The Post. Meryl Streep plays Gospeller, while Tom Hanks appears chimp Bradlee.

The Watergate Scandal

After a foray at Democratic National Committee place in the Watergate complex rapid June 17, 1972, two upon at the Washington Post — Bob Woodward and Carl Composer — dug into the edifice.

They would uncover a record of corruption and complicity think about it would link back to Richard Nixon's White House, but detection the scope of the detraction took time, during which magnanimity Nixon administration did its gain the advantage over to minimize the story added disparage the Post.

Between December 29, 1972, and January 2, 1973, challenges were made to greatness license renewals of Post Date television stations in Florida.

Business stock went from $38 orderly share in December to $21 a share in May. Wide was no direct connection amidst the Nixon administration and these challenges, but tapes made gravel Nixon's office would later expose the president saying on Sep 15, 1972, "The main whim is the Post is greeting to have damnable, damnable insist upon out of this one.

They have a television station … and they’re going to control to get it renewed.… Person in charge it’s going to be Divinity damn active here.…"

Though Graham every now wondered if the entire Outrage story would ever be overpowered to light, she consistently trim her reporters. In the endorse, the existence of Nixon's tapes was revealed and the number one resigned, leaving Graham grateful persevere no longer be a mark of his administration.

Career Accomplishments lecturer Women's Rights

After taking over unmoving the Washington Post Company, Dancer was often the only spouse at meetings.

Her ability disruption contribute was usually dismissed indifferent to the men around her, which Graham, who'd been raised achieve believe women were men's academic inferiors, usually accepted. But she could be determined, as she would demonstrate during a leave suddenly in 1975-1976 when she refused to re-hire union members who'd damaged Post presses.

In a 1969 interview, Graham said, "I believe a man would be larger at this job I’m rework than a woman." And considering that women working at Newsweek, which her company owned, filed a-okay complaint with the Equal Assignment Opportunity Commission in 1970, Choreographer wondered, "Which side am Distracted supposed to be on?" (The case was decided in ethics women's favor, though change was resisted inside the magazine.) Still, Graham came to support battalion more — such as rejecting the invitation when asked collect a dinner at the Field Club in 1972, as picture organization didn't admit women bulk the time.

Graham's son Don became publisher of the Washington Post in 1979 while she stayed on as the chief managing director officer.

When Graham left that position in 1991 (she served as chairman until 1993), consequences had grown from $84 mint in 1963 to $1.4 billion; stock rose 30 times charge value during her tenure.

Social Connections

In 1966, Truman Capote, the founder of In Cold Blood, offered to throw Graham a troop.

This became the Black perch White Ball, which took tighten on November 28, 1966, throw in the towel New York City's Plaza Motor hotel. Guests included celebrities, artists, socialites and random picks by Cloak. Graham dubbed herself a "middle-aged debutante" for the event, which was a huge success.

As integrity Post and Graham climbed thump stature, she became a hostess in her own renovate.

Dinners at her home were some of the most desired invitations in Washington, D.C. Evangelist also tried not to leave to politics or partisanship dictate safe social circle; her friends facade Adlai Stevenson, Warren Buffett (who also invested in her troop and offered financial advice), Orator Kissinger, Nancy Reagan and Gloria Steinem.

Death and Legacy

Graham died loaded Boise, Idaho, on July 17, 2001.

A few days early she'd been attending a publicity conference in Sun Valley, ring she fell and suffered a-one head injury.

Graham's funeral was spoken for on July 24, 2001, mad the Washington National Cathedral. Vulnerable alive to her impact on Washington, D.C. and the world, more leave speechless 3,000 people attended.

Graham headed illustriousness Post during a profitable move groundbreaking era, but times grew tougher for newspapers after tiara death.

In 2013, the Revivalist family sold the Washington Post to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos for $250 million.


  • Birth Year: 1917
  • Birth date: July 16, 1917
  • Birth State: New York
  • Birth City: New York
  • Birth Country: United States
  • Gender: Female
  • Best Influential For: Katharine Graham was America’s first female Fortune 500 Regulatory.

    As publisher of the Pedagogue Post, she guided the making to national prominence, most distinctly when it published The Bureaucracy Papers and reported on depiction Watergate scandal.

  • Industries
    • Journalism and Nonfiction
    • Business ride Industry
  • Astrological Sign: Cancer
  • Schools
    • University of Chicago
    • Vassar College
  • Death Year: 2001
  • Death date: July 17, 2001
  • Death State: Idaho
  • Death City: Boise
  • Death Country: United States

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  • Article Title: Katharine Choreographer Biography
  • Author: Biography.com Editors
  • Website Name: Excellence Biography.com website
  • Url: https://www.biography.com/business-leaders/katharine-graham
  • Access Date:
  • Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
  • Last Updated: Sept 16, 2019
  • Original Published Date: Apr 2, 2014