Katharine Graham Washington Post publisher and her trusted editor Ben Bradlee

On my walk through beautiful Oak Hill Cemetery in Washington D.C., I happened to arrive on “Bring Your Dog Day”—a special once-a-year event that allows visitors to bring their beloved pets to roam freely across the cemetery’s serene 22-acre grounds.

As I wandered beneath the spring foliage, I discovered the grave of Washington Post publisher Katharine Graham, resting peacefully beside the cemetery chapel. Just across the road from her was the impressive granite mausoleum of her longtime editor, Ben Bradlee.

Graham led the Post during one of its most pivotal moments. The paper played an integral role in uncovering the Watergate scandal, a story that ultimately led to President Richard Nixon’s resignation.

Her editor, the legendary and fearless Ben Bradlee, famously assigned reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein to cover the unfolding Watergate investigation—when few others dared to. Equally brave was Katharine Graham, who stood behind her reporters, supporting their investigative reporting and championing the publication of their groundbreaking findings.

Bernstein and Woodward, 1972. 

Katharine Graham passed away in Boise, Idaho, on July 17, 2001, at the age of 84. Benjamin Bradlee died in Washington D.C. on October 21, 2014, aged 93.

1917-2001

1921-2014

Katharine Graham’s grave beside the Renwick Chapel (1850).

Ben Bradlee’s family mausoleum.

Washington Post sign at the Nationals Park I attended.

*All photographs owned and taken by Phil Crawford other than stock image of Bradlee and Graham