Graham Holdings
Corporate brand
UnclaimedDiversified American holding company with businesses in education, media, health care, manufacturing, automotive retail, and hospitality.
Last updated October 16, 2026
Overview
Graham Holdings Company is a diversified American holding company headquartered in Arlington County, Virginia. Its corporate history is rooted in The Washington Post, whose first issue appeared in 1877 and whose owning company was incorporated in the District of Columbia in 1889. The company became publicly traded in 1971 and later developed into a broader group with interests extending well beyond newspapers. For much of the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, the business was identified with The Washington Post and Newsweek. It also built substantial operations in education, broadcasting, cable communications, digital media and healthcare. The most important strategic break came in 2013, when the company sold The Washington Post and associated publications to Nash Holdings, an entity owned by Jeff Bezos, for $250 million. The transaction closed on October 1, 2013. The corporate name changed from The Washington Post Company to Graham Holdings Company on November 29, 2013, reflecting the fact that the newspaper was no longer the group’s defining operating asset. Graham Holdings retained its technology innovation activities, including the unit later known as Trove. The group’s education business is centered on Kaplan, acquired in 1984 as Stanley H. Kaplan Education Centers. Kaplan expanded from tutoring and test preparation into professional education, career training, English-language instruction, higher education, online learning, university support and pathways programs. Its international activities have included the United Kingdom, Ireland, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand. In 2018, Kaplan’s online higher-education operation, Kaplan University, was sold to the Purdue University system and became Purdue University Global. Graham Holdings also operates Graham Media Group, a television broadcasting group with seven stations, and owns or invests in a range of digital and specialist media businesses. These have included Slate, Foreign Policy through the FP Group, City Cast, Code3, Social News Desk and Pinna. Its portfolio has changed repeatedly through acquisitions, restructurings and divestitures. Cable One, formerly a significant cable television and internet subsidiary, was spun off as a separate public company in 2015. The Leaf Group acquisition in 2021 expanded the company’s consumer internet and marketplace exposure; the related assets were later reorganized under World of Good Brands and subsequently divested in part. Outside media and education, the company has assembled businesses in home health, hospice, palliative care and specialty pharmacy through Graham Healthcare Group; industrial and electrical manufacturing through companies such as Forney, Joyce/Dayton, Dekko and Hoover Treated Wood Products; automobile dealerships in the Washington, D.C. region; and restaurants, including businesses associated with Clyde’s Restaurant Group. Framebridge was acquired in 2020, while the restaurant and automotive investments broadened the group’s portfolio into consumer-facing operating businesses. The company is incorporated in Delaware and its Class B common stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol GHC. Its controlling family ownership structure gives Class A shareholders the right to elect 70% of the board, while public Class B shareholders elect the remaining 30%. Graham Holdings describes itself less as a single-product brand than as a long-term holding company that allocates capital among education, healthcare, broadcasting, media, manufacturing, automotive and other operating businesses.
History
Graham Holdings traces its origins to The Washington Post, first published in 1877. The Washington Post Company was incorporated in the District of Columbia in 1889 and became a public company in 1971. The descendants of Eugene Meyer, including Donald E. Graham and members of related family trusts, ultimately established a controlling ownership structure through unlisted Class A shares. Those shares elect most of the company’s directors, while publicly traded Class B shares elect the remainder. The company expanded beyond newspaper publishing during the second half of the twentieth century. Its 1984 acquisition of Stanley H. Kaplan Education Centers created the foundation for Kaplan, which developed from a Brooklyn tutoring business into an international provider of test preparation, professional training, language instruction, higher education and student-support services. In the 1990s and 2000s, the company also developed interests in television broadcasting, cable communications, digital media and technology ventures. A decisive transformation occurred in 2013. The company sold The Washington Post and related publications to Nash Holdings, owned by Jeff Bezos, for $250 million. The purchase closed on October 1, and the former newspaper company adopted the Graham Holdings name on November 29. The transaction left the company with a portfolio rather than a flagship newspaper identity. It retained WaPo Labs, later associated with Trove, while continuing to operate or invest in education, broadcasting, healthcare and other sectors. Graham Holdings continued to reshape its portfolio through acquisitions and divestitures. It acquired Celtic Healthcare in 2012 and expanded its healthcare activities through Residential Healthcare Group and other partnerships. Manufacturing acquisitions included Forney in 2013, Joyce/Dayton in 2014, Group Dekko in 2015 and Hoover Treated Wood Products in 2017. The company acquired Social News Desk in 2014, invested in and developed digital media properties, and acquired Framebridge in 2020. It entered restaurant operations through the 2019 acquisition of Clyde’s Restaurant Group and built an automotive dealership business in the Washington metropolitan area. The group also separated major assets. Cable One was spun off in 2015. Kaplan University was transferred to Purdue in 2018 and became Purdue University Global. Pinna, a children’s podcasting business, spun out of the Slate Group in 2019. In 2021 Graham Holdings acquired Leaf Group. Leaf’s publishing and marketplace activities were later reorganized under the World of Good Brands name, followed by further asset sales, including reported divestitures of several lifestyle brands in 2024 and 2025. The company moved its headquarters from the Washington Post building in Washington, D.C., to Arlington, Virginia, after the former building was sold separately. Its location places it near federal institutions relevant to its education and healthcare businesses. By the 2020s, Graham Holdings had become a family-influenced public holding company whose businesses spanned Kaplan education, Graham Media Group television stations, digital and print media, healthcare services, manufacturing, automotive dealerships, restaurants and consumer internet properties.
- 2023
Board leadership transition
[1]Anne M. Mulcahy becomes chair, and Donald Graham becomes chairman emeritus.
- 2021
Leaf Group acquired
[1]Graham Holdings completes its acquisition of Leaf Group at an approximately $323 million valuation as reported in the reference material.
- 2018
Kaplan University transferred to Purdue
[1]The online higher-education operation is transferred to the Purdue University system and later becomes Purdue University Global.
- 2015
Cable One spun off
[1]Cable One becomes a separate publicly traded company.
- 2013
Washington Post sold and corporate name changed
[1]The newspaper is sold to Nash Holdings, owned by Jeff Bezos, for $250 million, and the parent company becomes Graham Holdings on November 29, 2013. Nash Holdings LLC, owned by Jeff Bezos, completes its purchase of The Washington Post and affiliated publications.
- 2013
Graham Holdings name adopted
[1]The former Washington Post Company changes its name to Graham Holdings Company.
- 2003
Incorporation moved to Delaware
[1]The company changes its state of incorporation from the District of Columbia to Delaware.
- 1984
Kaplan acquired
[1]The Washington Post Company acquires Stanley H. Kaplan Education Centers, creating the foundation of its education business.
- 1971
Company becomes publicly traded
[1]The company's public Class B common stock begins trading, establishing the public-market structure later retained by Graham Holdings.
- 1889
The Washington Post Company incorporated
[1]The company is incorporated in the District of Columbia.
Showing the 10 most recent.
Products and positioning
A family-controlled, publicly traded holding company that allocates capital across education, media, health care, manufacturing, and consumer-facing operating businesses rather than presenting a single consumer brand.
Education and training · 1984
Kaplan
Kaplan is Graham Holdings' principal education business. It provides test preparation, professional and career training, English-language instruction, university and student-support services, pathways programs and online learning. The business grew from the Kaplan tutoring company acquired in 1984 and later expanded internationally, including into the United Kingdom, Ireland, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand. Kaplan University was transferred to Purdue in 2018 and became Purdue University Global, while Graham Holdings retained other Kaplan activities. Kaplan provides test preparation, professional and career training, language instruction, university and student support, online learning, and related educational services. Its operations have expanded beyond the original tutoring model into institutional partnerships and international education markets.
Television broadcasting
Graham Media Group
Graham Media Group, formerly Post-Newsweek Stations, operates a group of seven television stations. The subsidiary is based in Detroit alongside the company’s WDIV-TV operation and focuses on local broadcast news and related digital services in its station markets. Graham Media Group, formerly Post-Newsweek Stations, operates seven local television stations in the United States. The group combines broadcast news operations with digital publishing and newsroom technology services.
Healthcare services · 2012
Graham Healthcare Group
Graham Healthcare Group provides home health, hospice and palliative care through operating companies, joint ventures and partnerships with health systems and physician groups. Its activities have included Residential Healthcare Group, Allegheny Health Network Healthcare at Home, Mary Free Bed at Home, Clarus and InTeliCare. The group also includes specialty pharmacy and healthcare call-management capabilities, including CSI Pharmacy. Graham Healthcare Group provides home health, hospice, palliative care, specialty pharmacy, call-management, and operational technology services. Its businesses include Residential Healthcare Group, joint ventures with health systems, CSI Pharmacy, Clarus, and related care platforms.
Digital media · 1996
Slate
Slate is a digital magazine and media property within Graham Holdings' media portfolio. The wider Slate-related group has also been associated with Slate V, Foreign Policy and podcasting initiatives including Pinna.
Digital and print media
Foreign Policy
Foreign Policy magazine and ForeignPolicy.com operate through the FP Group as part of Graham Holdings' online and print media interests. The publication focuses on international affairs, geopolitics and global policy analysis.
Digital marketing
Code3
Code3, formerly SocialCode, is a digital marketing company specializing in social-media and identity-based marketing services. It represents Graham Holdings' advertising and marketing technology activities.
Consumer internet and marketplaces · 2023
World of Good Brands
World of Good Brands was created through the restructuring of Leaf Group assets acquired by Graham Holdings in 2021. The portfolio separated lifestyle publishing properties from marketplace businesses such as Saatchi Art and Society6. Subsequent divestitures affected several lifestyle brands, and the group's later status requires verification.
Industrial manufacturing · 2013
Graham Manufacturing businesses
The manufacturing portfolio includes Forney Corporation, which makes combustion monitoring and control equipment; Joyce/Dayton Corp., which produces screw jacks and linear-motion systems; Dekko, an electrical manufacturer; and Hoover Treated Wood Products, which supplies treated lumber and plywood products.
Automotive retail
Graham Automotive
Graham Automotive owns and operates automobile dealerships in and around the Washington, D.C., region. The business was expanded through acquisitions from existing dealership operators.
Brand decisions
2021
Acquisition of Leaf GroupM&ABackground
Graham Holdings sought to expand its consumer internet, publishing and marketplace portfolio.
Action taken
The company completed the acquisition of Leaf Group, a consumer internet company with publishing brands and marketplaces.
Aftermath
Leaf Group assets were later reorganized into publishing and marketplace groupings under World of Good Brands, with several brands subsequently sold.
Acquisition valuation. Approximately $323 million (2021)
2018
Transfer of Kaplan UniversityM&ABackground
Graham Holdings reorganized its higher-education assets while continuing to operate Kaplan’s broader education and training businesses.
Action taken
Kaplan University's online higher-education operation was transferred to the Purdue University system.
Aftermath
The institution became Purdue University Global, while Kaplan continued as a provider of education, training, preparation, and support services.
2015
Cable One spinoffM&ABackground
Graham Holdings separated its cable television and internet service provider business from the wider holding company. Cable One had become a distinct cable television and internet operating business within the portfolio.
Action taken
Graham Holdings spun Cable One off as a separate publicly traded company.
Aftermath
The transaction further reduced Graham Holdings’ exposure to telecommunications and reinforced its multi-sector holding-company structure. The transaction narrowed Graham Holdings’ direct exposure to cable and broadband operations and left the company focused on its remaining operating businesses.
2013
Sale of The Washington PostM&ABackground
The company decided to divest its flagship newspaper and affiliated publications after more than a century of association with the newspaper business, as traditional newspaper economics and the company's diversification strategy evolved.
Action taken
It sold The Washington Post and affiliated publications to Nash Holdings LLC, owned by Jeff Bezos, for $250 million. The transaction closed on October 1, 2013, and the company subsequently adopted the Graham Holdings name.
Aftermath
The parent company changed its name from The Washington Post Company to Graham Holdings and pursued a more diversified portfolio while retaining selected digital and media assets. The Washington Post became a separate Bezos-owned company.
Sale price. $250 million (2013)
Recent events
- 2023
Anne M. Mulcahy became board chair[1]
Leadership change
Anne M. Mulcahy succeeded Donald Graham as chair of the board, while Graham became chairman emeritus and continued to lead the executive committee.
- 2021
Leaf Group acquired[1]
M&A
Graham Holdings completed the acquisition of Leaf Group, a consumer internet company with publishing and marketplace brands, at an approximately $323 million valuation.
- 2018
Kaplan University transferred to Purdue system[1]
M&A
Graham Holdings sold Kaplan University to the Purdue University system; the operation was subsequently branded Purdue University Global.
- 2015
Cable One spun off as an independent public company[1]
M&A
Graham Holdings separated its cable television and internet subsidiary Cable One through a public-company spinoff.
- 2015
Graham Holdings spins off Cable One[1]
M&A
Cable television and internet provider Cable One was separated from Graham Holdings as an independent public company.
- 2013
The Washington Post sold to Jeff Bezos[1]
M&A
The Washington Post Company agreed to sell its flagship newspaper and affiliated publications to Nash Holdings, a company owned by Jeff Bezos, for $250 million.
- 2013
Company renamed Graham Holdings[1]
Other
Following the newspaper sale, The Washington Post Company adopted the Graham Holdings name.
Sources3 sources
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