Katharine Graham

Profession: Newspaper Publisher

Biography: Katharine Graham was an American publisher, businesswoman and socialite who served as the publisher of The Washington Post from 1969 to 1979. She was the first female publisher of a major American newspaper, and is credited with transforming the Post into a major national newspaper. Her career and life were marked by challenges and successes.

Graham's father, Eugene Meyer, bought the Post in 1933, and she was named President and Chairman of the Board in 1963. In 1969, she took on the role of publisher, overseeing the Post's coverage of the Watergate scandal, which earned the paper a Pulitzer Prize.

In 1998, she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for her autobiography, Personal History. She was also awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously by George W. Bush in 2002.

Born: June 16, 1917
Birthplace: NYC, New York, USA

Generation: Greatest Generation
Chinese Zodiac: Snake
Star Sign: Gemini

Died: July 17, 2001 (aged 84)
Cause of Death: Fell and struck her head while visiting Sun Valley, Idaho