Leonard Downie is finally retiring after seventeen years of running the Post he is calling it quites. Leonard Downie, who replaced the famous Ben Bradlee, has worked in a newsroom for over forty-four years. The Washington Post had been run by some pretty ‘Larger than Life’ characters in Bradlee and Katharine Graham but unlike those publishers Leonard Downie kept out of the limelight. He is best known for his incredible work ethic, telling it like it is and not backing down from anybody, even President Bush. Bush had personally asked Leonard Downie to cancel a story that was not too flattering to the administration but of course Leonard Downie went with the story.

During Leonard Downie’s tenure the Post won twenty five Pulitzer prizes. He was also faced with very difficult management decisions. In the world of Internet news and declining newspaper readerships across the country the Post was also hit. Leonard Downie was forced to reduce his workforce from about 900 to approximately 700. That being said, the Post, under Leonard Downie’s watch has become one of the premier online newspapers.

An Ohio native, Leonard Downie started all the way back in 1964, working his way up through the ranks. If ever there was a prototypical newspaper career his would be it. From summer intern to number one man. Of course Leonard Downie has made many monumental publishing decisions during his career including using the word Fuck, quite the line to cross for a major newspaper but the word was relevant as vice-president Cheney had used it during a public discussion. Leonard Downie also published the Unabomber Manifesto when the government asked him to do so. Leonard Downie will be missed as chief of the post but not completely forgotten in the public’s eyes as his new novel will be published next January.