• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, June 2, 2011

The New York Times has a new editor, Jill Abramson, who is replacing Bill Keller in the top spot effective Sept. 6, according to a statement from publisher and chairman Arthur Sulzberger Jr.

Abramson, who came to the NYT from The Wall Street Journal in 1997 and served as managing editor under Keller since 2003, will be the first female editor in the history of the venerable newspaper, which was founded in 1851.

With Abramson at the helm, the NYT will be led by a fervent believer in the newspaper and its mission of presenting "All the News That's Fit to Print." Indeed, she spoke of the event in almost spiritual terms, saying The New York Times "substituted for religion" in her home growing up and comparing her elevation to the position of editor to "ascending to Valhalla," the mythical home of the Norse gods.

Former NYT Washington bureau chief Dean Baquet will take over the position of managing editor for news. Baquet served as national editor of the NYT until 2000, then became managing editor of Los Angeles Times until 2005, when he was promoted to editor. He rejoined the NYT in 2006.

Baquet and Abramson will form a "powerful team," Keller said, possessing all the skills necessary to run a major newspaper in challenging times. Among other achievements, Abramson and Baquet helped Keller restore the NYT's tarnished credibility in the wake of the Jayson Blair scandal.

More recently, Abramson helped direct the integration of newspaper's print and digital operations from an editorial standpoint. For his part, Baquet earned a reputation as a feisty advocate for the newsroom at the LAT, when he resisted Tribune Co.'s management demands for further cuts, leading to his eventual dismissal.

Keller, 62, will continue writing for the NYT, although the details of his new position have not yet been decided. It will include regular contributions to The New York Times Magazine, as well as its new Sunday opinion section.

Keller and Sulzberger both affirmed that the decision to resign as editor was Keller's.