Katharine Graham
Katharine Graham | |
---|---|
New York City, New York, U.S. | |
Died | July 17, 2001 Boise, Idaho, U.S. | (aged 84)
Resting place | Oak Hill Cemetery Washington, D.C., U.S. |
Education | Vassar College University of Chicago (BA) |
Occupation | Newspaper publisher |
Spouse |
Philip Graham (m. 1940; died 1963) |
Children | 4, including Lally and Donald |
Parent(s) | Eugene Meyer Agnes E. Meyer |
Family | Florence Meyer (sister) Marc Eugene Meyer (grandfather) Joseph Newmark (great-grandfather) |
Katharine Meyer Graham (June 16, 1917 – July 17, 2001) was an American newspaper publisher. She led her family's newspaper, The Washington Post, from 1963 to 1991. Graham presided over the paper as it reported on the Watergate scandal, which eventually led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon. She was the first 20th century female publisher of a major American newspaper and the first woman elected to the board of the Associated Press.
Graham's memoir, Personal History, won the Pulitzer Prize in 1998.
Early life
Katharine Meyer was born in 1917 into a wealthy family in New York City, to
Her father was of
Meyer's parents owned several homes across the country, but primarily lived between a mansion in Washington, D.C., and a large estate (later owned by Donald Trump) in Westchester County, New York.[12] Meyer often did not see much of her parents during her childhood, as both traveled and socialized extensively; she was raised in part by nannies, governesses and tutors.[11] Katharine endured a strained relationship with her mother. In her memoir, Katharine reports that Agnes could be negative and condescending towards her, which had a negative impact on Meyer's self-confidence.[11]
Her older sister Florence Meyer was a successful photographer and wife of actor Oscar Homolka. Her father's sister, Florence Meyer Blumenthal, founded the Prix Blumenthal.[13]
As a child, Meyer attended a
Career
After graduation, Meyer worked for a short period at a San Francisco newspaper where, among other things, she helped cover a major strike by wharf workers. Meyer began working for the Post in 1938.
On June 5, 1940, Meyer was married
In his Los Angeles home, William Graham died at 69 on December 20, 2017. Like his father, Phil Graham, he died by suicide.[16]
The Washington Post
Philip Graham became publisher of the Post in 1946, when Eugene Meyer handed over the newspaper to his son-in-law.
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.[citation needed]
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.[19][20]
Graham was also known for a long-time friendship with Warren Buffett, whose Berkshire Hathaway owned a substantial stake in the Post.[21]
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.[22] On Christmas Eve in 1962, Katharine learned 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 the couple's assets.[23]
At a newspaper conference in Phoenix, Arizona, Philip apparently had a nervous breakdown.[24][25] He was sedated, flown back to Washington, and placed in the Chestnut Lodge psychiatric facility in nearby Rockville.[24][26] On August 3, 1963, he committed suicide with a shotgun at the couple's "Glen Welby" estate near Marshall in the Virginia horse country.[27][28]
Leadership of the Post
Katharine Graham assumed the reins of the company and of the Post after Philip Graham's suicide. She held the title of president and was
Graham hired
Watergate
Graham presided over the Post at a crucial time in its history. The Post played an integral role in unveiling the
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."[33] The Post published the quote, although Bradlee cut the words her tit.[34][33] Graham later observed that it was "especially strange of [Mitchell] to call me Katie, which no one has ever called me."[33]
Views regarding the relationship between the press and intelligence agencies
On November 16, 1988, Graham gave a speech titled "Secrecy and the Press" to a packed auditorium at
Other accomplishments and recognition
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.
At the University of Chicago, Katherine Graham has a dormhouse in Max Palevsky Residential Commons named after her. Every year on March 2 they celebrate "Graham Day," honoring their namesake and her accomplishments.[39]
In 1966, Graham was the named honoree of Truman Capote's Black and White Ball.
In 1973, Graham received the
In 1974, Graham became the first woman elected to the board of directors at the Associated Press.[40][41]
In 1975, Graham received the
In 1979, the Supersisters trading card set was produced and distributed; one of the cards featured Graham's name and picture.[43]
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.[44]
In 1988, Graham was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.[45]
External videos | |
---|---|
Booknotes interview with Graham on Personal History, February 16, 1997, C-SPAN |
Graham published her memoirs,
Nora Ephron of the New York Times, who was at one point married to Carl Bernstein, raved about Graham's autobiography. She found it an amazing story of how Graham was able to succeed in a male-dominated industry. “Am I making clear how extraordinary this book is? “ Ephron said. “She manages to rewrite the story of her life in such a way that no one will ever be able to boil it down to a sentence.”[citation needed]
In 1997, she received the Freedom medal.
On January 30, 1998, television station WCPX-TV in Orlando changed its callsign to WKMG-TV in honor of longtime Washington Post publisher, Katharine M. Graham.
In 1999, Graham received the Golden Plate Award of the
In 2000, Graham was named one of the
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.[48]
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. Graham does not appear in the film adaptation of All The President's Men, but Robert Redford, who plays Woodward, revealed that Graham had a scene written for her in earlier versions where she asks Woodward and Bernstein (played by Dustin Hoffman) about the Watergate story, beginning with, "What are you doing with my paper?"[49]
Death
External videos | |
---|---|
Katharine Graham Funeral Service, July 23, 2001, C-SPAN |
On July 14, 2001, Graham fell and struck her head while visiting
Notes
- ISBN 978-0-31332-945-6.
- ^ "Old Town Alameda". www.theharrisonteam.com. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
- ISBN 978-1-60980-290-5.
- ISBN 978-1-60980-290-5.
- ISBN 978-0-394-57243-7.
- ^ Hodgson, Godfrey (July 18, 2001). "Obituary: Katharine Graham". The Guardian. London.
- ^ Smith, J. Y. & Epstein, Noel (July 18, 2001). "Katharine Graham Dies at 84." Washpostco.com, Washington Post Company website. Retrieved April 18, 2012.
- ^ "'Washington Post' icon Katharine Graham, 84, dies". USA Today. July 18, 2001.
- ^ USA Today: "Personal History" By Katharine Graham July 17, 2001
- ^ a b Zweigenhaft, Richard L. and G. William Domhoff The New CEOs : Women, African American, Latino, and Asian American Leaders of Fortune 500 Companies Published: March 18, 2014 |Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
- ^ a b c d e Graham, Katharine. Personal History. New York: A.A. Knopf, 1997. Print.
- ^ Michael R. Sisak (March 7, 2021), "Claimed value of sleepy NY estate could come to haunt Trump", Associated Press: "Purchased by Trump in 1995 for $7.5 million, Seven Springs drew renewed scrutiny as he prepared to leave office . . . "
- ^ "Florence Meyer Blumenthal". Jewish Women's Archive, Michele Siegel.
- ^ Haden-Guest, Anthony (September 17, 2008). "The Strange Affair of Madeira School Headmistress Jean Harris and Scarsdale Diet Doctor Herman Tarnower". New York Magazine. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
- ISBN 9781589794900.
- ^ Sanders, Linley (December 26, 2017). "Who Is William Graham? Former Washington Post Publisher's Son Dies In Suicide Similar To Father". Newsweek. Retrieved September 15, 2018.
- ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
- ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
- ^ Rich, Frank. "Frank Rich - Latest Columns and Features on NYMag.com - New York Magazine". Nymag.com. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
- ISBN 978-1-60980-290-5. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
- ^ "Berkshire Hathaway to swap stock for TV station in deal with Graham Holdings". Washington Post. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
- ISBN 978-1-60980-290-5. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
- ISBN 978-1-60980-290-5. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
- ^ a b Graham, K., Personal History, Vintage Books 1998
- ISBN 978-1-60980-290-5. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
- ISBN 978-1-60980-290-5. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
- ISBN 978-1-60980-290-5. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
- ^ "Philip Graham, 48, Publisher, A Suicide". The New York Times. August 4, 1963. Retrieved September 15, 2018.
- ISBN 978-1-60980-290-5. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
- ISBN 9781471109812. Retrieved October 30, 2014.
- ^ "Firsts for U.S. Women". Archived from the original on March 12, 2013.
- ^ "The History Book Club - CIVIL RIGHTS: WOMEN'S STUDIES - WOMEN'S MOVEMENT - FEMINISM Showing 1-50 of 114". www.goodreads.com. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
- ^ a b c Graham, Katharine (January 28, 1997). "The Watergate Watershed: A Turning Point for a Nation and a Newspaper". Washington Post. p. D01. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
- ^ Bernstein, Carl; Woodward, Bob (September 29, 1972). "Mitchell Controlled Secret GOP Fund". The Washington Post. p. A01. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
All that crap, you're putting it in the paper? It's all been denied. Jesus. Katie Graham (Katharine Graham, publisher of The Washington Post) is gonna get caught in a big fat wringer if that's published. Good Christ. That's the most sickening thing I've ever heard.
- ISBN 978-1-4408-4742-4. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
- ^ Secrecy and the Press, Remarks by Katharine Graham, November 16, 2988
- ^ Weekly Report Highlights, November 26, 1988
- Public Broadcasting Service(PBS).
- ^ "Max Palevsky Residential Commons". Housing & Residence Life. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
- ^ Palumbo, Jacqui (August 16, 2022). "She was a pioneering newspaper publisher in a room full of men. In history, she wasn't alone". CNN. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
- ^ "Jefferson Awards". Archived from the original on November 24, 2010. Retrieved October 30, 2014.
- ^ Wulf, Steve (March 23, 2015). "Supersisters: Original Roster". Espn.go.com. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ^ Arizona State University (January 29, 2009). "Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication". Retrieved November 23, 2016.
- ^ "Book of Members, 1780–2010: Chapter G" (PDF). American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
- American Academy of Achievement.
- ^ "World Press Freedom Heroes: Symbols of courage in global journalism". International Press Institute. 2012. Archived from the original on January 16, 2012. Retrieved January 26, 2012.
- ^ "Graham, Katharine - National Women's Hall of Fame".
- ^ The Legacy of "All the President's Men" Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library on YouTube
- ^ Berger, Marilyn (July 18, 2001). "Katharine Graham, Former Publisher of Washington Post, Dies at 84". NY Times.
- cbsnews.com. Associated Press. July 23, 2001. Retrieved July 19, 2009.
- ^ Van Dyne, Larry (August 1, 2007). "Into the Sunset: Arrangements and Options for the Afterlife". The Washingtonian. washingtonian.com. Archived from the original on March 5, 2012. Retrieved July 19, 2009.
References
- Carol Felsenthal (1993). Power, Privilege and the Post: The Katharine Graham Story. Seven Stories Press. ISBN 978-1-60980-290-5.
- Graham, Katharine (1997). ISBN 978-0-394-58585-7.
- ISBN 978-0-684-80894-9.
- Gerber, Robin (2005). Katharine Graham: The Leadership Journey of an American Icon. New York: Portfolio. ISBN 978-1-59184-104-3.