Katharine Graham

Source

• Born: 16 June 1917
• Birthplace: New York, New York
• Died: 17 July 2001 (injuries from a fall)
• Best Known As: Publisher of the Washington Post

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.

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.

The renown publisher Katharine Meyer Graham (born 1917) took over management of "The Washington Post" after the death of her husband. She guided it to national prominence and acclaim while expanding her publishing empire.

Katharine Meyer Graham was born in New York City on June 16, 1917, the fourth of five children born to Eugene Meyer, a banker, and Agnes Elizabeth (Ernst) Meyer, an author and philanthropist. In 1933, when Katharine was still a student at the Madeira School in Greenway, Virginia, her father bought the moribund Washington Post for $875,000. Already retired, Meyer purchased the paper because he had grown restless and wanted a voice in the nation's affairs. His hobby became the capital's most influential paper.

From an early age Katharine Meyer showed an interest in publishing. At the Madeira School she worked on the student newspaper. In 1935 she entered Vassar College, but the following year transferred to the University of Chicago, which she regarded as a more stimulating campus. During her summer vacations she worked on The Washington Post. After her graduation with a B.A. degree in 1938 she went to California to take a job as a waterfront reporter for the San Francisco News. She returned to Washington a year later and joined the editorial staff of the Post, where she also worked in the circulation department.

On June 5, 1940, she married Philip L. Graham, a Harvard Law School graduate and clerk for Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter. Her husband entered the Army in World War II, and she gave up reporting to move with him from base to base. When he was sent overseas to the Pacific Theater, Katharine returned to her job at the Post. After his discharge in 1945, Eugene Meyer persuaded Philip Graham to join The Washington Post as associate publisher. Meyer, who had a warm relationship with his son-in-law, eventually turned the business over to him, selling all the voting stock in the company to the Grahams for $1 in 1948. Philip Graham helped his father-in-law to build the business, acquiring the Post's competitor, the Washington Times Herald, in 1954 and in 1961 purchasing Newsweek magazine for a sum estimated to be between eight and 15 million dollars. He also expanded the radio and television operations of the company and in 1962 helped to establish an international news service.

In 1963 Philip Graham shot himself to death. Katharine Graham took over the presidency of the company. A prominent Washington matron who had devoted her time to the raising of her daughter and three sons, she had never lost her interest in the affairs of the family business. She studied the operations, asked questions, consulted with such old friends as James Reston and Walter Lippmann, and made the key decisions which helped to bring in skilled journalists to improve the quality of the paper. She selected Benjamin C. Bradlee, the Washington bureau chief for Newsweek, as managing editor in 1965.

Graham gave Bradlee, who later became executive editor, a free hand and backed him during the 1970s when the Post began making news as well as reporting it. In June of 1971 the Post, along with the New York Times, became embroiled with the government over their right to publish excerpts from a classified Pentagon study of U.S. military involvement in Vietnam compiled during President Lyndon Johnson's administration. A court order to restrain the publication of the documents led to an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court and, in a decision judged a major victory for freedom of the press, the Court upheld the papers' right to publish the "Pentagon Papers."

Further controversy erupted when the investigative reporting team of Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein began to probe the break-in at the Democratic National Headquarters at the Watergate apartment complex in June of 1972. Woodward's and Bernstein's articles in the Post linked the break-in to the larger pattern of illegal activities that ultimately led to the indictment of over 40 members of the Nixon administration and to the resignation of President Richard Nixon in August of 1974.

Graham, generally conceded to be the most powerful woman in publishing, held the title of publisher at The Washington Post starting in 1969. As chairman and principal owner of the Washington Post Company, she controlled the fifth largest publishing empire in the nation. In the period 1975 to 1985 profits grew better than 20 percent annually.

In 1979 Graham turned the title of publisher over to her son Donald (born 1945). But she remained active in all areas of the business, from advising on editorial policy to devising strategies for diversifying the company's holdings, which included, in addition to the Post and Newsweek, the Trenton Times, four television stations, and 49 percent interest in a paper company. In Washington she was a formidible presence. Heads of state, politicians, and leaders in journalism and the arts gathered at her Georgetown home and weekends at her farm in northern Virginia.

Under Graham's leadership, The Washington Post grew in influence and stature until by common consent it was judged one of the two best newspapers in the country. It was read and consulted by presidents and prime ministers in this country and abroad and exerted a powerful influence on political life. At the same time, the Post, which boasts a circulation of 725,000, served as a hometown paper for a general audience who enjoyed the features, cartoons, and advice columns.

Katharine Graham was described as a "working publisher." Determined to preserve the family character of the business, she took up the reins after the death of her husband and worked hard not only to build but to improve her publishing empire. A forceful and courageous publisher, she knew when to rely on the expertise of professionals and allowed her editors maximum responsibility, at the same time strengthening her publications by her willingness to spend to attract top talent in journalism and management.

Further Reading

Arthur Schlesinger Jr.'s article in Vogue (January 1, 1967) provides interesting insights into Katharine Meyer Graham's background and career. Martin Mayer in "Lady as Publisher," Harper's (December 1968), interviewed Graham. For articles dealing with her business empire, see Time (February 7, 1977) and Forbes (April 19, 1984). She was listed in Who's Who in America (43rd edition, 1984-1985) and The World Who's Who of Women (4th edition). Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward in All the President's Men (1974) deal with The Washington Post's investigation of Watergate. For an unauthorized biography, see Deborah Davis, Katharine the Great: Katharine Graham and the Washington Post (1979) or Carol Felsenthal, Power, Privilege, and the Post: The Katherine Graham Story (1993). In 1997, Katherine Meyer Graham published her memoirs Personal History

Katharine Graham
Born	June 16, 1917(1917-06-16) New York City
Died	July 17, 2001 (age 84) Idaho
Education	University of Chicago Vassar College
Occupation	Publisher
Spouse(s)	Philip Graham (1940-1963)
Children	Lally Weymouth Donald E. Graham William Welsh Graham Stephen Meyer Graham

Katharine Meyer Graham (June 16, 1917 – July 17, 2001) was an American publisher. 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 2 Family 3 Leadership of The Washington Post 3.1 Social life and friends 3.2 Philip Graham's illness and death 3.3 Ascension to power 3.4 Watergate 3.5 CIA speech 3.6 Other accomplishments and recognition 4 Death 5 References 6 Further reading 7 External links

Early life

Graham's father, Eugene Meyer, was a financier and, later, a public official. He bought The Washington Post in 1933 at a bankruptcy auction. Her mother, Agnes Ernst, 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, Albert Einstein and Eleanor Roosevelt, and worked as a newspaper reporter at a time when journalism was an uncommon profession among women.

Graham lived a privileged childhood. Her 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. As a young adult, Graham felt she had been sheltered by such privilege.

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.

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.

Family

On June 5, 1940, she married 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), Wiiliam Welsh Graham (born 1948) and Stephen Meyer Graham (born 1952).

Leadership of The Washington Post

Philip Graham became publisher of the Post in 1946, when Meyer left that position to become head of the World Bank. Meyer 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 friends

The Grahams were important members of the Washington social scene, becoming friends with John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Robert F. Kennedy, Lyndon 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.

Philip Graham's illness and death

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After several years of suffering from manic depression, Philip Graham had a nervous breakdown. (Graham, K., Personal History, Vintage Books 1998 p. 328). Around this time, Katharine discovered her husband had been cheating on her with Robin Webb, an Australian stringer for Newsweek. Her husband declared that he would divorce Katharine for Robin and he made motions to divide up the couple's assets. (Graham, p 314).

At a newspaper conference in Phoenix, Arizona, Philip Graham had a nervous breakdown. (Graham, p.309-10). Katharine and Phil's daughter Lally and son Don flew to Arizona to retrieve him by private jet, and her sedated husband was flown back to Washington. (Graham, p.311). Philip was taken to the private Chestnut Lodge psychiatric facility near Washington, D.C. (Graham, p.311). He was released after a short stay; subsequently suffered a major depression; and then returned to the facility. In 1963, during a weekend release from Chestnut Lodge, while at the couple's Glen Welby home, he committed suicide. (Graham, p.331-32).

Ascension to power

Katharine Graham assumed the reins of the company, and of the Post, after Philip Graham's suicide. Graham was de facto publisher of the newspaper from 1963 onward, formally assuming the title in 1979, and chairman of the board from 1973 to 1991. 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 a 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 ascension to power at 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, and 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 gonna get her tit caught in a big fat wringer if that's published." The two words "her tit" were cut on publication.

CIA speech

In 1988, Graham gave a speech at the CIA's headquarters in Langley, Virginia:^[1]

“

We live in a dirty and dangerous world...There are some things the general public does not need to know and shouldn't. I believe democracy flourishes when the government can take legitimate steps to keep its secrets and when the press can decide whether to print what it knows.

”

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 1973, Graham received the Elijah Parish Lovejoy Award as well as an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Colby College.

In 1997, Graham published her memoirs, Personal History. 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 2002, Katharine Graham was presented, posthumously, with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush.

Death

In 2001, Graham fell while visiting Sun Valley, Idaho. She died three days after the fall due to trauma resulting from the ensuing head injury. 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.^[2][3]

References

1. ^ "Snow Job - The Establishment's Papers Do Damage Control for the CIA". FAIR. http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=1374. Retrieved 2008-06-28. 
2. ^ "Final Farewell To Katharine Graham". Associated Press (cbsnews.com). July 23, 2001. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2001/07/23/national/main302796.shtml?source=search_story. Retrieved July 19, 2009. 
3. ^ Van Dyne, Larry (August 1, 2007). "Into the Sunset: Arrangements and Options for the Afterlife". The Washingtonian (washingtonian.com). http://www.washingtonian.com/print/articles/6/173/5050.html. Retrieved July 19, 2009. 

• 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. 

Further reading

• Katharine the Great, an unauthorized biography of Katharine Graham that was recalled by the publisher just a couple of weeks after its release, then later released.

External links

• Charlie Rose's interview with Katherine Graham, year-1997
• New York Times Paid Death Notices: July 18, 2001 Inserted by Rockefeller University and the Museum of Modern Art.
• Katherine 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

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