Katharine Graham
Encyclopedia
Katharine Meyer Graham 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
.
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 Elizabeth 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'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 very negative and condescending towards Katharine which did a number on her 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.
, 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 (born 1948) and Stephen Meyer Graham (born 1952).
until his death in 1959, when Philip Graham took that position and the company expanded with the purchases of television stations and Newsweek
magazine.
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.
Graham is also known for a long time friendship with Warren Buffett
whose Berkshire Hathaway
owns a substantial stake in Washington Post.
Graham declared that he would divorce his wife for Robin and he made motions to divide up the couple's assets.
At a newspaper conference in Phoenix
, Arizona
, Graham apparently had a nervous breakdown. Graham was sedated and flown back to Washington. where he would end up in a Chestnut Lodge
psychiatric facility near Washington, D.C.. During a weekend release from Chestnut Lodge on August 3, 1963, Graham committed suicide
with a 28-gauge shotgun
at the couple's Glen Welby home.
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.
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.
:
, 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
.
, 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
.
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
, for more than two decades, overseeing its most famous period, the Watergate
Watergate scandal
The Watergate scandal was a political scandal during the 1970s in the United States resulting from the break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C., and the Nixon administration's attempted cover-up of its involvement...
coverage that eventually led to the resignation of President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
. Her memoir, Personal History
Personal History
Personal History is the autobiography of Katharine Graham. It was published in 1997 and won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography in 1998...
, won the Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
in 1998
1998 Pulitzer Prize
-Journalism:-Letters:* Biography or Autobiography** Personal History by Katharine Graham * Fiction** American Pastoral by Philip Roth * History...
.
Early life
Katherine Graham was born into a privileged family in 1917 in New York City.Graham's father, Eugene Meyer
Eugene Meyer
Eugene Isaac Meyer was an American financier, public official, publisher of the Washington Post newspaper. He served as Chairman of the Federal Reserve from 1930 to 1933. He was the father of publisher Katharine Graham.-Biography:Born in Los Angeles, California, he was one of eight children of...
, was a financier and, later, a public official. He bought The Washington Post in 1933 at a bankruptcy auction. Her mother, Agnes Elizabeth Ernst, was a bohemian
Bohemian
A Bohemian is a resident of the former Kingdom of Bohemia, either in a narrow sense as the region of Bohemia proper or in a wider meaning as the whole country, now known as the Czech Republic. The word "Bohemian" was used to denote the Czech people as well as the Czech language before the word...
intellectual, art lover and political activist in the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
, who shared friendships with people as diverse as Auguste Rodin
Auguste Rodin
François-Auguste-René Rodin , known as Auguste Rodin , was a French sculptor. Although Rodin is generally considered the progenitor of modern sculpture, he did not set out to rebel against the past...
, Marie Curie
Marie Curie
Marie Skłodowska-Curie was a physicist and chemist famous for her pioneering research on radioactivity. She was the first person honored with two Nobel Prizes—in physics and chemistry...
, Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history...
and Eleanor Roosevelt
Eleanor Roosevelt
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was the First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945. She supported the New Deal policies of her husband, distant cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and became an advocate for civil rights. After her husband's death in 1945, Roosevelt continued to be an international...
, and worked as a newspaper reporter at a time when journalism was an uncommon profession among women.
Graham's parents owned several homes across the country, but primarily lived between a veritable 'castle' in Mount Kisco
Mount Kisco, New York
Mount Kisco is a community that is both a village and a town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The Town of Mount Kisco is coterminous with the village. The population was 10,877 at the 2010 census.- History :...
, New York and a smaller home in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
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 very negative and condescending towards Katharine which did a number on her self confidence.
Her elder sister Florence Meyer
Florence Meyer
Florence Meyer Homolka was a portrait photographer, socialite, and wife of actor Oscar Homolka.-Early life:...
(1911–1962) was a successful photographer and wife of actor Oscar Homolka
Oscar Homolka
Oskar Homolka was an Austrian film and theatre actor. Homolka's strong accent, stocky appearance, bushy eyebrows and Slavic name led many to believe he was Eastern European or Russian, but he was born in Vienna, Austria-Hungary.- Career :After serving in the Austro-Hungarian Army during World War...
.
Graham was an alumna of The Madeira School
The Madeira School
The Madeira School is a private, non-denominational preparatory boarding school for girls located in McLean, Virginia, United States. Originally located on 19th Street near Dupont Circle in Washington, D.C., it was founded by Lucy Madeira Wing in 1906 and moved to the Northern Virginia suburb of...
(to which her father had donated much land) and attended Vassar College
Vassar College
Vassar College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York, in the United States. The Vassar campus comprises over and more than 100 buildings, including four National Historic Landmarks, ranging in style from Collegiate Gothic to International,...
before transferring to the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
. 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
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
newspaper where, among other things, she helped cover a major strike by wharf workers.
Her father's sister, Florence Meyer Blumenthal
Florence Meyer Blumenthal
Florence Meyer Blumenthal was a philanthropist who founded the Fondation franco-américaine Florence Blumenthal , which awarded the Prix Blumenthal from 1919-1954 to painters, sculptors, decorators, engravers, writers, and musicians — to promote Franco- American relations.For their altruism,...
founded the Prix Blumenthal
Prix Blumenthal
The Prix Blumenthal was a grant or stipend awarded through the philanthropy of Florence Meyer Blumenthal — and the foundation she created, Fondation franco-américaine Florence Blumenthal — to discover young French artists, aid them financially, and in the process draw the United States...
, 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.
Will Lang Jr.
William John Lang Jr. was an American journalist and a bureau head for Life magazine.- Early career :...
The two dated, but broke off the relationship due to conflicting interests.
Family
On June 5, 1940, she married Philip GrahamPhil Graham
Philip Leslie Graham was an American publisher and businessman. He was the publisher and co-owner of The Washington Post...
, a graduate of Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
and a clerk for Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter
Felix Frankfurter
Felix Frankfurter was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court.-Early life:Frankfurter was born into a Jewish family on November 15, 1882, in Vienna, Austria, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in Europe. He was the third of six children of Leopold and Emma Frankfurter...
. They had a daughter, Lally Morris Weymouth (born 1943), and three sons: Donald Edward Graham
Donald E. Graham
Donald E. Graham is chief executive officer and Chairman of The Washington Post Company. He is also the director and chairman of Facebook Inc.- Early life :...
(born 1945), William 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 handed over the newspaper to his son-in-law. Katharine recounts in her autobiography, Personal History, how she didn't feel slighted by the fact her father gave the Post to Phillip 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 became the head of the World Bank. Meyer left that position only six months later; he was Chairman of the Washington Post CompanyWashington Post Company
The Washington Post Company is an American education and media company, best known for owning the newspaper for which it is named, The Washington Post. The Company also owns Kaplan, Inc., a leading international provider of educational and career services for individuals, schools and businesses...
until his death in 1959, when Philip Graham took that position and the company expanded with the purchases of television stations and Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
magazine.
Social life and friends
The Grahams were important members of the Washington social scene, becoming friends with John F. KennedyJohn F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
Jacqueline Lee Bouvier "Jackie" Kennedy Onassis was the wife of the 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, and served as First Lady of the United States during his presidency from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. Five years later she married Greek shipping magnate Aristotle...
, Robert F. Kennedy
Robert F. Kennedy
Robert Francis "Bobby" Kennedy , also referred to by his initials RFK, was an American politician, a Democratic senator from New York, and a noted civil rights activist. An icon of modern American liberalism and member of the Kennedy family, he was a younger brother of President John F...
, Lyndon Johnson, Robert McNamara
Robert McNamara
Robert Strange McNamara was an American business executive and the eighth Secretary of Defense, serving under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson from 1961 to 1968, during which time he played a large role in escalating the United States involvement in the Vietnam War...
, Henry Kissinger
Henry Kissinger
Heinz Alfred "Henry" Kissinger is a German-born American academic, political scientist, diplomat, and businessman. He is a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. He served as National Security Advisor and later concurrently as Secretary of State in the administrations of Presidents Richard Nixon and...
, Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
, and Nancy Reagan
Nancy Reagan
Nancy Davis Reagan is the widow of former United States President Ronald Reagan and was First Lady of the United States from 1981 to 1989....
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
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Vice Presidential nominee in 1960
United States presidential election, 1960
The United States presidential election of 1960 was the 44th American presidential election, held on November 8, 1960, for the term beginning January 20, 1961, and ending January 20, 1965. The incumbent president, Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower, was not eligible to run again. The Republican Party...
), and how such personal closeness with politicians later became unacceptable in journalism.
Graham is also known for a long time friendship with Warren Buffett
Warren Buffett
Warren Edward Buffett is an American business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. He is widely regarded as one of the most successful investors in the world. Often introduced as "legendary investor, Warren Buffett", he is the primary shareholder, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. He is...
whose Berkshire Hathaway
Berkshire Hathaway
Berkshire Hathaway Inc. is an American multinational conglomerate holding company headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, United States, that oversees and manages a number of subsidiary companies. The company averaged an annual growth in book value of 20.3% to its shareholders for the last 44 years,...
owns a substantial stake in Washington Post.
Philip Graham's illness and death
On Christmas Eve in 1962, Katharine’s world was turned upside down when she found out her husband was having an affair with Robin Webb, an Australian stringer for NewsweekNewsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
Graham declared that he would divorce his wife for Robin and he made motions to divide up the couple's assets.
At a newspaper conference in Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, Graham apparently had a nervous breakdown. Graham was sedated and flown back to Washington. where he would end up in a Chestnut Lodge
Chestnut Lodge
Chestnut Lodge was a historic building in Rockville, Maryland, United States, well known as a psychiatric institution. It was a contributing property to the West Montgomery Avenue Historic District.-History:...
psychiatric facility near Washington, D.C.. During a weekend release from Chestnut Lodge on August 3, 1963, Graham committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
with a 28-gauge shotgun
Shotgun
A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
at the couple's Glen Welby home.
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 equalityGender equality
Gender equality is the goal of the equality of the genders, stemming from a belief in the injustice of myriad forms of gender inequality.- Concept :...
within her company.
Graham hired Benjamin Bradlee as editor and cultivated Warren Buffett
Warren Buffett
Warren Edward Buffett is an American business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. He is widely regarded as one of the most successful investors in the world. Often introduced as "legendary investor, Warren Buffett", he is the primary shareholder, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. He is...
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 WatergateWatergate scandal
The Watergate scandal was a political scandal during the 1970s in the United States resulting from the break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C., and the Nixon administration's attempted cover-up of its involvement...
conspiracy, and ultimately led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
.
Graham and editor Bradlee first experienced challenges when they published the content of the Pentagon Papers
Pentagon Papers
The Pentagon Papers, officially titled United States – Vietnam Relations, 1945–1967: A Study Prepared by the Department of Defense, is a United States Department of Defense history of the United States' political-military involvement in Vietnam from 1945 to 1967...
. When Post reporters Bob Woodward
Bob Woodward
Robert Upshur Woodward is an American investigative journalist and non-fiction author. He has worked for The Washington Post since 1971 as a reporter, and is currently an associate editor of the Post....
and Carl Bernstein
Carl Bernstein
Carl Bernstein is an American investigative journalist who, at The Washington Post, teamed up with Bob Woodward; the two did the majority of the most important news reporting on the Watergate scandal. These scandals led to numerous government investigations, the indictment of a vast number of...
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
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
, John Mitchell
John N. Mitchell
John Newton Mitchell was the Attorney General of the United States from 1969 to 1972 under President Richard Nixon...
, 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, VirginiaLangley, Virginia
Langley is an unincorporated community in the census-designated place of McLean in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States.The community was essentially absorbed into McLean many years ago, although there is still a Langley High School...
:
Other accomplishments and recognition
Graham had strong links to the Rockefeller familyRockefeller family
The Rockefeller family , the Cleveland family of John D. Rockefeller and his brother William Rockefeller , is an American industrial, banking, and political family of German origin that made one of the world's largest private fortunes in the oil business during the late 19th and early 20th...
, serving both as a member of the Rockefeller University
Rockefeller University
The Rockefeller University is a private university offering postgraduate and postdoctoral education. It has a strong concentration in the biological sciences. It is also known for producing numerous Nobel laureates...
council and as a close friend of the Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
, where she was honored as a recipient of the David Rockefeller
David Rockefeller
David Rockefeller, Sr. is the current patriarch of the Rockefeller family. He is the youngest and only surviving child of John D. Rockefeller, Jr. and Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, and the only surviving grandchild of oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller, founder of Standard Oil. His five siblings were...
Award for enlightened generosity and advocacy of cultural and civic endeavors (see External links below).
In 1973, Graham received the Elijah Parish Lovejoy
Elijah P. Lovejoy
Elijah Parish Lovejoy was an American Presbyterian minister, journalist, newspaper editor and abolitionist. He was murdered by an opposition mob in Alton, Illinois during their attack on his warehouse to destroy his press and abolitionist materials.Lovejoy's father was a Congregational minister...
Award as well as an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Colby College
Colby College
Colby College is a private liberal arts college located on Mayflower Hill in Waterville, Maine. Founded in 1813, it is the 12th-oldest independent liberal arts college in the United States...
.
In 1997, Graham published her memoirs, Personal History
Personal History
Personal History is the autobiography of Katharine Graham. It was published in 1997 and won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography in 1998...
. The book was praised for its honest portrayal of Philip Graham's mental illness
Mental illness
A mental disorder or mental illness is a psychological or behavioral pattern generally associated with subjective distress or disability that occurs in an individual, and which is not a part of normal development or culture. Such a disorder may consist of a combination of affective, behavioural,...
, 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
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
in 1998
1998 Pulitzer Prize
-Journalism:-Letters:* Biography or Autobiography** Personal History by Katharine Graham * Fiction** American Pastoral by Philip Roth * History...
.
In 2002, Katharine Graham was presented, posthumously, with the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Presidential Medal of Freedom
The Presidential Medal of Freedom is an award bestowed by the President of the United States and is—along with thecomparable Congressional Gold Medal bestowed by an act of U.S. Congress—the highest civilian award in the United States...
by President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
.
Death
In 2001, Graham fell while visiting Sun ValleySun Valley, Idaho
Sun Valley is a resort city in Blaine County in the central part of the U.S. state of Idaho, adjacent to the city of Ketchum, lying within the greater Wood River valley. Tourists from around the world enjoy its skiing, hiking, ice skating, trail riding, tennis, and cycling. The population was 1,427...
, Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
. 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
Washington National Cathedral
The Washington National Cathedral, officially named the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, is a cathedral of the Episcopal Church located in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. Of neogothic design, it is the sixth-largest cathedral in the world, the second-largest in...
. Graham is buried in historic Oak Hill Cemetery, across the street from her former home in Georgetown
Georgetown, Washington, D.C.
Georgetown is a neighborhood located in northwest Washington, D.C., situated along the Potomac River. Founded in 1751, the port of Georgetown predated the establishment of the federal district and the City of Washington by 40 years...
.
Further reading
- Katharine the GreatKatharine the GreatKatharine the Great: Katharine Graham and The Washington Post is an unauthorized biography of Katharine Graham, the newspaper owner, authored by Deborah Davis, and initially released in 1979....
, 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