The executive editor of The New York Times, Abramson is the first woman to hold the role in the paper's 160-year history.

Abramson, fittingly, is a native New Yorker. She got her editorial start as an undergrad at Harvard, where she was the Arts Editor of The Harvard Independent. After graduation she worked at Time for three years, and then worked as a senior staff reporter for The American Lawyer. She spent nine years at The Wall Street Journal, where she eventually became deputy bureau chief. In 1995, Abramson and her WSJ colleague, Jane Mayer, co-authored Strange Justice: The Selling of Clarence Thomas. The book examined the controversial circumstances surrounding Justice Thomas' Supreme Court confirmation and was well received by critics. She was named chief of The New York Times' Washington bureau in 1997 and has remained with The Old Gray Lady ever since. After working as the Managing Editor for Bill Keller, she was named as his replacement when he stepped down in 2011.

Abramson is married to her Harvard classmate, Henry Little Griggs III; they have two children. [Image via Getty]