Katharine Graham Stamps

The 17th stamp in the Distinguished Americans series honors pioneering business leader Katharine Graham (1917-2001)The first female CEO of a Fortune 500 company, Graham was a pivotal figure during turbulent moments in American historyThe stamp features an oil portrait of Graham based on a photograph taken in the 1970s, during the peak of her influence asowner and president of the Washington Post Company, where she was also publisher of its flagship newspaper

Katharine Meyer's father, Eugene Mever, purchased the faling Washington Post in 1933. in 1940, she married the brilianPhilip Graham, who became the publisher of the newspaper in 1946. while she focused on raisina their four children. thecompany, under Mr. Graham's control, acquired broadcast stations and Newsweek magazine. Widowed in 1963, Mrs. Grahanrassumed leadership of the company.

In 1971, Graham made the dificult decision to publish the "Pentagon Papers"a leaked, classified history of early u.S.involvement in Vietnam-despite threats from the U.S. atorney general. This could have jeopardized her company's initiapublic stock offering, which had been planned for that week. Moreover, it risked government confiscation of the company'sprofitable television licenses.

One year later, burglars broke into the Democratic National Committee headquarters. Young Washington Post reporters BobWoodward and Carl Bernstein tenaciously pursued the break-in investigation right to the Oval Ofice, For months the Post wavirtually alone in its coverage of Watergate. Ultimately the scandal led to President Richard M. Nixon's resignation in 1974Personal History, Graham's candid memoir, won a Pulitzer Prize in 1997. in 2002, she was posthumously awarded thePresidential Medal of Freedom.

Art director Derry Noyes designed the stamp with original art by Lynn Staley.The words "Two Ounce" on this stamp indicate its usage value. Like a Forever® stamp, this stamp wil always be valid for therate printed on it.

Made in the USA.