Her husband made Presidents, and she brought them down.

Famously among the first female publishers of a major American newspaper, Katharine “Kay” Graham (born Meyer) achieved a great many things over the course of her dynamic life. She led her family’s newspaper, The Washington Post, into the era of television reporting and hard journalism, elevating it among the nation’s foremost news outlets. She is today remembered as a dreadnought of the news industry and a leading figure in the politics of her era. Yet this iron lady’s strength and courage developed long before the Nixon Administration - she survived an abusive marriage, her husband’s suicide, and unexpectedly gained control of the family business all while raising four children. Hers is a profile in courage.

Katharine Graham, in front of her family business

Her father, Eugene Meyer, purchased The Washington Post from a bankruptcy auction in 1933, keeping the paper safe from rivals William Randolph Hearst, Cissy Patterson (another trailblazer) and Joseph P. Kennedy Sr.. The title of “publisher” would eventually pass Katharine’s husband, Philip “Phil” Graham in 1946. Although a brilliant man, Phil Graham was also troubled - he struggled with mental health issues and alcoholism throughout life. As Kay’ & Phil’s marriage progressed, Phil became, to put it frankly, a bit of a monster. Publicly belittling her in front of friends (always approved by Phil) he would insult her silhouette, hair, manners, and “common” taste. He could be even harsher behind the scenes (when disappearing for days to their Glen Welby estate, many of their associates wondered if they would come back alive). Phil’s deepest verbal assaults, however, focused on his wife’s Jewish heritage - he wold often bait Katharine into arguments as an excuse to hurl anti-semitic slurs in her direction.

Publicly, however, Phil projected charm, charisma, and styled himself as a powerful juggernaut within Washington society. He was deeply interested in the idea of “king making” and employed the increasing wealth and popularity of The Washington Post in support of politicians and their campaigns, biasing the newspaper in support of “great men” (especially during the election of 1960). Resultantly, the paper suffered in credibility and integrity, but flourished in circulation. Though she would never openly decry the actions of her husband, Kay found herself increasingly disturbed by the creeping bastardization. She feared for the future of American democracy should journalistic standards “yellow” to that of the Gilded Age.

As the 1960s began, Phil began a public affair with a freelance journalist, furthering his wife’s humiliation. He would openly invite friends to meet his new mistress, and draw unfavorable comparisons between her and Katharine. Unable to gain a divorce and take control of the Washington Post Company, Kay (like many wives of the era) lacked the legal and societal standing to save the family company and her own reputation.

Then, in 1963, Phil Graham committed suicide, leaving Kay the sole parent of her children as well as the de facto leader of both The Washington Post Company and The Washington Post. Now in control of her assets, she found a measure of peace.

Despite her plain appearance and (sometimes) unassertive nature, Katharine Graham was an incredibly intelligent and precise personality. Rather than choosing to mourn and temporarily recuse herself from society, she immediately took charge. In order to overcome both her nerves and relative unfamiliarity with the inner workings of the publishing world, she immersed herself in modern society and global affairs by renting an apartment beside the United Nations Building in New York. She shadowed friends at rival publications to learn best practices. Additionally, she attended various political conferences and conventions, where she developed a growing disdain for journalistic bias and sensationalism. Her particular concern was national newspapers which displayed favoritism toward political candidates, thus forgoing traditional standards of journalism (checking sources, corroborating facts, neutral language, et cetera). This would have to change.

A modern day Catherine-the-Great, Kay began to host Enlightenment-esque salons among the glittering elite of American intellectual society. Attendees included Robert F. Kennedy and Truman Capote (her New York City neighbors), Robert McNamara, Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., Vice President (and later President) Lyndon B. Johnson and his wife Lady Bird Johnson. Regrettably, the toxicity of her prior marriage to Phil led Kay to consistently belittle herself. She doubted her own capacity and feminine strength. That was until an all-female staff walk-out threatened The Washington Post. Afterwards, Kay recognized how her differences made her innovatively powerful.

Katharine Graham & Truman Capote at the famous Black & White Ball, 1966

More changes came. She dropped her patriarchal moniker “Mrs. Philip Graham” for her new title “Katharine Graham”. She turned down previously entertained bids for outsider acquisition of the newspaper, redecorated her home in her own style, and spent countless hours practicing speeches, anticipating questions from her staff, and working on elocution, diction, and confidence in her speech.

Still shaky in her confidence, Kay was nonetheless able to project strength and enact her most important decision: purging the old guard from The Washington Post newsroom and ushering in a new, loyal staff under the leadership of editor Ben Bradlee.

Initially, the haughty and arrogant Bradlee was no friend of Kay’s (he had previously insulted her marriage, demeanor, and lack of experience). Nonetheless, he became her choice and immediately set out to restructure The Post’s staff. Perhaps the biggest move was displacing the paper’s managing editor, Alfred Friendly (with him went a slew of reporters and managers who were relocated The Post’s international offices). Without bias, without yield, and without mercy, the paper gained renewed national attention. By the late-1960s, Bradlee had become Kay’s right-hand-man, in every way resembling her former husband with two crucial exceptions: Katharine now commanded ownership and demanded respect - Ben complied unreservedly.

The Post’s investigative coverage of The Pentagon Papers and Watergate Scandal during the early-1970s colored much of the political scene in Washington and across the nation. The effectiveness of Ben Bradlee’s team coupled with Kay Graham’s staunch support for her newspaper helped to uncover stories of governmental abuse and repeated trespasses against the public trust. Kay Graham’s publishing decisions put her own reputation and business at risk. Aware of the stakes, she would martial further support by employing legal counselors, jurisprudential philosophers, and ex-governmental aids in her fight to uphold the First Amendment. She would take the fight as far as the Supreme Court to preserve the integrity of journalism in America. Free speech and the rights of the press would be protected and fortified as a result of her efforts.

Carl Bernstein, Katharine Graham & Bob Woodward, 1972

During an era when the United States government was waging war against the media and press freedom, Kay Graham made an impact. Nowadays, when national media finds itself threatened once again by governmental overreach, one cannot help but look back to the efforts of Katharine Graham and her newspaper. She remains a guiding light (among a host of other women) who has shaped and strengthened our democracy - leading the way for millions of strong, independent, and resilient women to rise in government, media, arts, culture, education, healthcare etc.

Before printing another devastating article uncovering the extent of the Watergate scandal, Nixon’s Attorney General John Mitchell stated, “Katie Graham's gonna get caught in a big fat wringer if that's published,” to which she blithely thought, “...no one has ever called me [Katie],” and told Bradlee, “Run it.”

Katharine Graham died in July 2001. Her paper, The Washington Post, is still counted among the most influential and important news publications in the United States.

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