Ben Bradlee, the renowned editor of the Washington Post, died on Oct. 21 at his home in Washington, D.C., after a battle with Alzheimer’s. He was 93.

Ben Bradlee Dies

The Washington Post, the paper at which Bradlee served as the executive editor for 26 years, confirmed his passing.

Bradlee got his first experience in a newsroom after serving in the Navy during World War II, helping to start the New Hampshire Sunday News. In 1948, he began reporting for the Washington Post. In 1954, after spending a few years as an assistant press attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Paris, he started working as a European correspondent for Newsweek magazine. When the Post bought Newsweek in 1961, Bradlee became the bureau chief.

By 1965, Bradlee had worked his way up to managing editor and just three years later, he’d become the Post’s executive editor – a position he held until 1991. During his time at the head of the newsroom, he oversaw the publication of the Pentagon Papers, which showed that the government was spinning a false tale about how the war in Vietnam was going. He also was in charge when Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein broke the Watergate story, effectively ending Richard Nixon’s presidency.

"Ben was a true friend and genius leader in journalism," Woodward and Bernstein said in a statement. "He forever altered our business. His one unbending principle was the quest for the truth and the necessity of that pursuit."

In November 2013, President Barack Obama awarded Bradlee the Presidential Medal of Freedom. During the presentation of the award, the highest honor awarded to civilians, Obama said Bradlee, “unleashed a new era of investigative journalism, holding America's leaders accountable and reminding us that our freedom as a nation rests on our freedom of the press.”

During Bradlee’s tenure at the Washington Post, the paper won 17 Pulitzer Prizes. For the Watergate coverage, it earned the Public Service award. Additionally, Bradlee’s revamping of the paper included creating features and sections like “Style,” that went on to be copied by other publications and become a staple in journalism.

Bradlee is survived by his wife Sally Quinn, who is a columnist at the Washington Post; sons Ben Jr., Dino and Quinn; daughter Marina; 10 grandchildren; and a great-grandchild.