Jill Abramson | |
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Abramson at Alice Tully Hall, January 28, 2012
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Born |
Jill Ellen Abramson March 19, 1954 New York City, New York, United States |
Occupation | Journalist, editor, author |
Notable credit(s) |
The New York Times (1997–2014) The Wall Street Journal (1988–1997) The American Lawyer (1977–1986) Time (1973–1976) |
Spouse(s) | Henry Little Griggs III (1981–present; 2 children) |
Jill Ellen Abramson (born March 19, 1954) is an American author and journalist best known as the former executive editor of The New York Times. Abramson held that position from September 2011 to May 2014. She was the first female executive editor in the paper's 160-year history. Abramson joined the New York Times in 1997, working as the Washington bureau chief and managing editor before being named as executive editor. She previously worked for The Wall Street Journal as an investigative reporter and a deputy bureau chief. In March 2016 she was hired as a political columnist for Guardian US.
In 2012, she was ranked number five on Forbes list of most powerful women. She was also named as one of the 500 most powerful people in the world by Foreign Policy.
Abramson was born in New York City and grew up in a Jewish home. She received her high school diploma from Ethical Culture Fieldston School and a BA in History and Literature from Harvard University and Radcliffe College in 1976.
While a Harvard undergraduate, she was the Arts Editor of The Harvard Independent, and worked at Time magazine from 1973 to 1976. Subsequently, she spent nearly a decade as a senior staff reporter for The American Lawyer. In 1986, she was appointed as editor in chief of Legal Times in Washington, D.C., serving for two years. From 1988 to 1997, she was a senior reporter in the Washington bureau of The Wall Street Journal, eventually rising to deputy bureau chief. She joined The New York Times in 1997, becoming its Washington bureau chief in December 2000.