Born: 3 August 1941, United States
Died: NA
Country most active: United States
Also known as: Martha Helen Kostyra
The following is excerpted from Infinite Women founder Allison Tyra’s book The View from the Hill: Women Who Made Their Mark After 40.
The career for which domestic media icon Martha Stewart would become well-known was not her first or even her second. Stewart began modeling as a teen and became a Wall Street stockbroker in her 20s before starting a catering company in her 30s. Her first book, Entertaining, was published in 1982, the year she turned 41, followed by Martha Stewart’s Hors d’Oeuvres (1984) and Weddings (1987). In 1990, she launched Martha Stewart Living, a monthly magazine through Time Publishing Ventures on which she was the editor in chief as well as being featured as the face of tips, recipes, and more throughout each volume. Her syndicated television show of the same name soon followed, running from 1993 to 2004, and she bought the magazine from Time Warner in 1997 with proceeds from her Martha Stewart Everyday line of household items sold through Kmart. Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1999, with Stewart as chairman and CEO. Her success was briefly overshadowed with a 2004 conviction of insider trading, which also resulted in her stepping down as chairman and CEO, retaining only an editorial role. But five months in prison and another five on house arrest did not deter her fans, and she returned to daytime television the following year with a new show, Martha, which ran from 2005 to 2012. Following the expiration of a ban by the Securities and Exchange Commission, she rejoined the company’s board in 2010, resuming her duties as chairman in 2012. The company was sold in 2015 for $350 million, and Stewart continues to have a thriving television career.