Katherine Graham was born Katherine Meyer in June of 1917, in New York City.

She was born into wealth, as her father was a financier who later became Chairman of the Federal Reserve. He purchased The Washington Post newspaper in 1933 at a bankruptcy auction.

Katherine was educated at several prestigious schools, including Vassar College and the University of Chicago. While a student in Chicago, Katherine fostered friendships with a great variety of people, and became interested in labor issues.

After graduation she worked for a year as a reporter for a newspaper in San Franciso before moving back to New York to work as a reporter for the Post.

In June of 1940 she married Phillip Graham, an attorney and clerk for Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter.

In 1946, Katherine’s father retired and chose her husband Phillip to secede him as publisher. During Phillip’s tenure the company also acquired numerous television and radio stations, as well as Newsweek magazine.

Phillip struggled with alcoholism and mental health issues, and on August 3, 1963, he committed suicide with a shotgun.

After his suicide, Katherine took over the role of publisher of the Post. When asked how she was able to step into such a formidable role with no experience she stated, “What I essentially did was put one foot in front of the other, shut my eyes and step off the ledge. The surprise was that I landed on my feet.”

Katherine was a formidable leader, manning the helm of her newspaper during some of the most pivotal times in journalistic history.

She first showed her courage in 1971 by publishing the contents of the Pentagon Papers, which were leaked documents detailing the futility of America’s involvement in the Vietnam War.

Her dedication to printing the truth continued when reporters Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward came to her with the Watergate story, which few other papers were willing to touch. These articles played a major role in the eventual resignation of President Richard M. Nixon, in 1974.

Katherine led the family’s newspaper until 1991, when she retired.

Being the first woman to hold the title of publisher at a major newspaper was not the only first Katherine achieved in her lifetime; she was also the first woman elected to the Board of Directors of the Associated Press, and the first female CEO of a fortune 500 company.

In 1998, she was also the recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for her autobiography, Personal History.

Katherine died on July 17, 2001, after falling and hitting her head.

She was 84 years old.