Katharine Graham First Day Ceremony

On June 14, 2022, the United States Postal Service issued a stamp honoring Katherine Graham.  The stamp pays the two-ounce letter rate, currently 78 cents, and is the seventeenth in the Distinguished Americans series.  Katherine Graham, 1917-2001, rose to prominence when she became the publisher of the Washington Post upon the death of her husband in 1963.  Graham became the first female CEO of a Fortune 500 company.  Among the highlights of her tenure as publisher of the Post was the publishing of the Pentagon Papers in 1971 and the investigative reporting that uncovered the Watergate scandal, which culminated with the resignation of President Nixon in 1974.  In 1997, Graham won a Pulitzer Prize for her autobiography, Personal History.    

The first day ceremony was held in the Madison Building of the Library of Congress.  The event was standing room only.  The capacity crowd included many prominent current and former elected officials and journalists such as Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Senator Patrick Leahy, Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, and columnist George Will.  Welcoming remarks were delivered by Dr. Carla D. Hayden, Librarian of Congress.  The featured speakers included Graham’s three children - Don Graham, Lally Graham Weymouth, Stephen Graham, as well as Presidential Historian Michael Beschloss.        

The ceremony lasted about 60 minutes and was free to the public.  An attractive ceremonial program was given to attendees.  The USPS had a table outside the auditorium and was selling the new stamp and first day covers.  This was a very educational and interesting event.  All collectors of US stamps should try to attend a first day ceremony if they have the opportunity to do so.  Word to the wise, get to the ceremony early as the programs ran out due to the large number of attendees.