Stewart, Martha (1941-…), is a well-known business owner who specializes in advice about homemaking, cooking, and gardening. She is the founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc. Her company markets Stewart’s products and services.
Stewart was born Martha Helen Kostyra on Aug. 3, 1941, in Nutley, New Jersey. She began working as a model while in high school. While attending Barnard College, she met Andrew Stewart, a law student who later became a publisher. The couple married in 1961. Martha Stewart graduated from Barnard in 1963 with a bachelor’s degree in history and architectural history. She continued modeling for a time, then went to work as a stockbroker in 1968. Stewart started a catering company in 1976. Her experience as a caterer led her to write her first book, Entertaining (1982). Stewart and her husband divorced in 1989.
Stewart has written numerous books on such topics as cooking, gardening, and entertaining. She has also hosted daily television programs and a daily syndicated radio segment and has written weekly syndicated newspaper columns. Her company publishes a monthly magazine, called Martha Stewart Living, and has published several books compiling articles on various topics from the magazine. The company also publishes the magazines Blueprint, Body + Soul, Everyday Food, Kids, and Martha Stewart Weddings. In September 2005, Stewart began to host a daily television series called “Martha.” From September to December of that year, she appeared in “The Apprentice: Martha Stewart,” a weekly television series in which prospective young executives competed for a position in her company. In November 2005, Stewart launched Martha Stewart Living Radio, a 24-hour channel on satellite radio.
In 2002, federal investigators and prosecutors began to probe reports of insider stock trading by Stewart. The reports said that she had inside information when she sold her shares of ImClone Systems Inc. a day before the United States Food and Drug Administration refused to review the company’s application for a new cancer drug. Stewart denied any wrongdoing.
In June 2003, a federal grand jury indicted Stewart on five counts of securities fraud, conspiracy, and making false statements to federal agents. In addition, the Securities and Exchange Commission—a U.S. government agency that aims to ensure a fair and orderly stock market—brought a civil suit against her, charging her with securities fraud. Stewart again denied any wrongdoing. However, she stepped down as chairman and chief executive officer of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, positions she had held since founding the company in 1997.
Stewart’s criminal trial began in January 2004. The following month, the judge threw out the charge of securities fraud. In March, Stewart was convicted on all remaining charges. She announced that she would appeal the verdict. After the conviction, she stepped down from her position as chief creative officer of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, a position she had held since 2003. Stewart was sentenced in July 2004 to 5 months in prison, 5 months of home confinement, and 2 years’ probation. She served her prison term from October 2004 to March 2005. She served her home confinement term from March 2005 to August 2005.
Stewart returned to her company’s board of directors in 2011. The following year, she was named its chairman, and a new television cooking show called Martha Stewart’s Cooking School aired. Martha and Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party, a celebrity cooking show starring Stewart and the American rapper Snoop Dogg , premiered in the fall of 2016.
