Biography
"Being a good photographer is one element in producing good photographs. You have to be a super salesman, be discreet and be a logistician. And most photographers have a bit of swagger in their step. To make it work, you have to be a complete person."- David Hume Kennerly
David Hume Kennerly's career began at the tender age of fifteen in Roseburg, Oregon, when he published his first picture in the high school paper in 1962. His first professional jobs--as a staff photographer for the Oregon Journal and the Portland Oregonian--led him to a position with UPI, which then sent him to cover the escalating war in Southeast Asia. The photos Kennerly took in Vietnam won the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography in 1972. He then returned stateside in 1973 to cover the political drama playing out in Washington for Time magazine. Following Nixon's resignation, Kennerly was named Chief White House Photographer during the Ford administration.
In addition to his work for Time, Kennerly has been a contributing editor to Newsweek magazine, and he's produced major projects for Life, Good Morning America Sunday and George magazine. He's also authored several books--including Photo du Jour: A Picture-a-Day Journey through the First Year of the New Millennium, published in the Center for American History's "Focus on American History" series by UT Press.
For access to additional photographs by David Hume Kennerly, as well as to purchase prints of his work, contact Alison Beck at the Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.
