Phil Graham Biography

Philip Leslie Graham (July 18, 1915 – August 3, 1963) was an American newspaperman best known as publisher and later co-owner of The Washington Post and its parent company, The Washington Post Company. During his years with the Post Company, Graham helped The Washington Post grow from a struggling local paper to a national publication and the Post Company expand to own other newspapers as well as radio and television stations. He was married to Katharine Graham, the daughter of Eugene Meyer, the previous owner of The Washington Post. Phil Graham, who had bipolar disorder, died by suicide in 1963, leading to his widow taking over as publisher of the post, the first woman to serve in that role at a national newspaper.