Ben Bradlee Benjamin Crowninshield "Ben" Bradlee (born August 26, 1921) is a vice president at-large of The Washington Post. As executive editor of the Post from 1968 to 1991, he became a national figure during the presidency of Richard Nixon, when he challenged the federal government over the right to publish the Pentagon Papers and oversaw the publication of Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein's stories documenting the Watergate scandal. Early life, education and ancestry Bradlee attended Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. A member of the Boston Brahmin Crowninshield family, Bradlee was born in Boston, Massachusetts on August 26, 1921. His father was Frederick Josiah Bradlee Jr. (1892-1970), a direct descendant of Nathan Bradley — the first of the Bradleys born in the colony of Massachusetts in 1631. His mother, Josephine de Gersdorff (1896-1975), was awarded the Legion of Honor for helping keep children safe from Nazi Germany and France during World War II. Bradlee's maternal grandfather, Carl August de Gersdorff (1865-1944), the son of a German immigrant, was a wealthy New York lawyer. Bradlee's maternal grandmother was Helen Suzette Crowninshield (1868-1941), daughter of artist Frederic Crowninshield (1845-1918), another member of the Crowninshield Page I 1 of 6 EFTA01087854