Martha Rountree

Martha Jane Rountree (October 23, 1911 – August 23, 1999) was an American pioneering broadcast journalist and entrepreneur. She is best known as the creator and first moderator of the public-affairs program, 'Meet the Press,' which aired on the NBC television network from November 6, 1947, to November 1, 1953. Rountree started her career in radio as the moderator of 'The American Mercury' from June 24, 1945, to 1947. Born in Gainesville, Florida, she was raised in Columbia, South Carolina, and worked for the Columbia Record newspaper to pay her way through the University of South Carolina. Rountree became the first and only female moderator on 'Meet the Press' until 2023.