PERSON: Bob Woodward

Journalist, Author

Bob Woodward was born Robert Upshur Woodward in Geneva, Illinois on March 26, 1943, to Jane and Alfred Woodward. After receiving his undergraduate degree from Yale University in 1965, he enlisted into the U.S. Navy and served a five-year tour of duty. Following his discharge from the Navy, Woodward landed a reporting position at the Montgomery County Sentinel in Maryland. He left the newspaper the following year for a position at The Washington Post. The transition would soon prove to be a wise career move for the young journalist.

Only months into his new position, in 1972, Woodward encountered one of the biggest stories of his career: Tipped to a burglary at the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C., he and fellow Post reporter Carl Bernstein were called on to investigate. Woodward eventually connected the break-in to the highest levels of President Richard Nixon’s administration. The Woodward-Bernstein team’s coverage of the scandal amassed several Post stories, which were initially denounced but later confirmed by the White House’s press secretary, Ron Ziegler. “I would apologize to the Post, and I would apologize to Mr. Woodward and Mr. Bernstein,” Ziegler stated in May 1973, adding, “They have vigorously pursued this story and they deserve the credit and are receiving the credit.”

Woodward and Bernstein soon became synonymous with investigative journalism, receiving wide acclaim for their journalistic work. In addition to breaking the story, their in-depth reporting and powerful writing sparked one of the greatest political upsets in American history: Nationwide news coverage; investigations by the House Judiciary Committee, Senate Watergate Committee and Watergate Special prosecutor; and, ultimately, President Nixon’s resignation and the criminal conviction of many others.

In 1973, The Washington Post received the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for its Watergate coverage. The following year, Woodward and Berstein published a non-fiction book about Watergate, All the President’s Men (1974). They followed with a Nixon-focused piece in 1976, The Final Days.

More than four decades since the Watergate scandal erupted, Woodward has never rested his laurels on his early 1970s fame. In 2001, he met with wide acclaim for his in-depth coverage of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City, which was printed in The Washington Post and led to another big win for the paper: the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting.

In addition to continuing his career at The Washington Post (now as an associate editor), Woodward has published 17 best-selling non-fiction books. He co-authored 1979’s The Brethren: Inside the Supreme Court, about Chief Justice Warren E. Burger; a book about the tragic life of comedian John Belushi, Wired: The Short Life and Fast Times of John Belushi; The Secret Wars of the CIA, 1981-1987, about former CIA Director William J. Casey; and Obama’s Wars, an analysis of America’s fight against terrorism under President Barack Obama, among various other works.

More recently, in September 2012, Woodward released The Price of Politics, a non-fiction book on the fiscal policy conflict between President Obama and Republicans in Congress.

— biography.com