David Hume Kennerly

David Hume Kennerly (born 1947) in Roseburg, Oregon, won the 1972 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography for his portfolio of photographs taken of the Vietnam War, Cambodia, East Pakistani refugees near Calcutta, and the Ali-Frazier fight in Madison Square Garden, March 8, 1971. He has also photographed every American president since Richard Nixon.

Biography

Kennerly is the son of O.A. "Tunney" Kennerly, a traveling salesman, and the son of the sheriff of Klamath Country, and Joanne Hume Kennerly, the daughter of a railroad engineer. His parents are deceased. He also has three younger sisters, Jane and Chris, the youngest, Anne, is also deceased. His interest in photography started when he was only 12, and his career began in Roseburg, where his first published picture was in the high school newspaper The Orange 'R in 1962. Kennerly graduated from West Linn High School outside of Portland, Oregon, in 1965. While there he worked on the school newspaper "The Amplifier!" and the yearbook.

At 18, right out of high school, he became a staff photographer for the Oregon Journal ''Oregon Journal'', and later, after returning from basic and advanced training as a member of the Oregon National Guard, The Oregonian ''Oregonian'', During his early career in Portland he photographed some major personalities, including Miles Davis, Igor Stravinsky, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, The Rolling Stones, and The Supremes. That encounter with Sen. Kennedy gave him the determination to become a national political photographer.

Kennerly moved to Los Angeles in the fall of 1967 as a staff photographer for UPI. It was there in 1968 that he took some of the last photos of Sen. Robert Kennedy as he declared victory in the California presidential primary at the Ambassador Hotel. Moments later he was gunned down by the assassin Sirhan Sirhan. The following year he moved to New York for UPI where among many other assignments he photographed the Amazing Mets win the 1969 World Series.

In early 1970 Kennerly was transferred to the Washington, DC bureau of UPI. At age 23 he took his first ride on Air Force One with President Nixon as a member of the traveling press pool. But Washington wasn't for him, and he felt like he was missing out on the biggest story of his generation, the Vietnam War. Kennerly said, "I felt like that scene in Mr. Roberts 'Mr. Roberts' where Henry Fonda, an officer on a supply ship, watched the destroyers sail into battle while he was stuck in some South Pacific backwater port."

Kennerly got his wish, and was sent to Saigon in early 1971 as a combat photographer for UPI. During that year, starting with the last assignment before he left the states, the Ali-Frasier fight, he took the pictures that won him the Pulitzer Prize. Kennerly became the photo bureau chief for UPI in Southeast Asia a few month later, but still spent most of his time in the field. In September of 1972 he was one of three Americans to travel to the People's Republic of China to cover the state visit of Japanese Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka. During that visit he photographed Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai, and one was one of the last Westerners to see him.

While still in Vietnam he joined Life Magazine "Life Magazine" in November of 1972 as a contract photographer. After the great picture publication went out of business a few weeks later Kennerly stayed on as a contract photographer for Time Magazine "Time Magazine". Among the many stories he covered for them while still in Asia was the last American prisoner of war release in Hanoi, March 30, 1973.

Kennerly returned to the United States in the summer of 1973 for Time, during the midst of the Watergate crisis. He photographed the resignation of Vice President Spiro Agnew, and the selection of Minority Leader Gerald R. Ford as Agnew's replacement. Kennerly's first Time cover was of Congressman Ford after Nixon's announcement choosing him, and it was also Ford's first appearance on the front of the magazine. That session with Mr. Ford led to a close personal relationship with him and his family, and led to Kennerly's appointment as Personal Photographer to the President, the day that Ford took office after Nixon's resignation as the chief executive on August 9, 1974. Kennerly was only the third civilian to ever have that position. (The first was President Lyndon Johnson photographer Yoichi Okamoto, and Nixon's photographer Ollie Atkins.

Kennerly enjoyed unprecedented entrée during the Ford Presidency, and photographed practically every major meeting, event, and trip during Ford's tenure in the Oval Office. He also arranged unique access for photographic colleagues from the magazines, newspapers, and colleagues to have during that period, and more than 50 had exclusives with President Ford. There had never been that kind of access to a president before, and not since. It was one of his proudest achievements. His staff consisted of four other photographers who divided assignments with the First Lady and Vice President, as well as presidential duties. He also directed the White House photo lab which was run by the military as part of the White House Communications Agency "WHCA". Kennerly's photographs are in the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

During his White House days, Kennerly, a bachelor, lived in a Georgetown townhouse just a few minutes from the White House, and drove a black 280 SL Mercedes before he replaced it with a Volkswagon convertible. He dated several high profile women, including the actress Candice Bergen and the Olympic skier Suzy Chaffee. The rumors about a romance with him and First Daughter Susan Ford weren't true, however, but he and Susan did give the President Liberty (dog), a golden retriever, that became a signature of the Ford presidency.

In late March of 1975, Kennerly accompanied Army Chief of Staff General Frederick Weyand who had been dispatched on a presidential mission to South Vietnam to assess what was becoming a rapidly deteriorating military situation. The president privately told Kennerly he wanted his particular view of what was happening. Kennerly flew around the country, escaped from Nga Trang before it fell to the advancing communists, was shot at by retreating South Vietnamese soldiers at Cam Ranh Bay, and landed under fire in Phnom Penh, Cambodia for a quick visit there. When he returned from the trip, both Weyand's and Kennerly's assesments were bleak. The President ordered that Kennerly's stark black and white photos of the tragedy be put up in the halls of the West Wing of the White House to remind the staff just how bad things were. Saigon fell a month later. Just days before that happened President Ford had ordered the evacuation of the last Americans and thousands of Vietnamese who had been working for the United States.

The day before the Ford's were turning over the keys to the White House to incoming President Jimmy Carter, Kennerly accompanied Mrs. Ford around the West Wing as she said personal goodbyes to the staff. They walked by the empty Cabinet Room, that male domain of America, and a mischievous look came across her face. "I've always wanted to dance on the Cabinet Room table," she said. And in a whisk, the former Martha Graham dancer kicked off her shoes, jumped up on the middle of the table, and stuck a pose. Ta da! That photo, only published for the first time more than 15 years later in Kennerly's book "Photo Op" is one of his best, and truly captures the dynamic personality of a fabulous First Lady.

Kennerly left the White House the same day and time as President Ford. His letter of resignation to the President had only two lines:

"Dear Mr. President,

Effective January 20, 1977, at twelve noon, I hereby resign my position at the White House.

It's been real!

David Hume Kennerly"

The President's response:

"Dear Dave,

Of all the letters coming to me during these closing days of my Administration, the ones that touch me most are those from members of the White House staff-- and yours stood out among the rest!

You say 'It's been real.' and from working so closely with you it's not only been real, it's been fun. In addition to being the world's best photographer, you have an uncanny ability to put people at ease, to bring out their best. Thanks largely to you and your determined effort to see people as what they are--people--the Ford White House will not go down in history as 'stuffy.' You photographed history being made, and you helped make it lively as it was happening. Your spirit will prevail in your photographs for year to come and I know that whenever we view them we'll remember the event, and we'll remember the spirit!

You have been a special friend to all our family, and I hope our paths will cross often in the days ahead. Betty and I will be watching your career with enthusiasm and cheers. We send you our wishes for every success and happiness in the years ahead.

Sincerely,

Jerry Ford"

Kennerly went back on contract for Time Magazine after the White House, where he covered some of the biggest stories of the 70's and 80's for them; Egyptian President Anwar Sadat's trip to Israel, the horror of Jonestown, exclusive photos of President Ronald Reagan and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev's first meeting in Geneva in 1985, the Fireside Summit, and many other stories around the world. When LIFE Magazine made a brief comeback for Desert Storm in 1991 he produced an inside story on Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell for them called "Men of War."

In 1996 Kennerly became a contributing editor for Newsweek Magazine where he produced inside stories on President Bill Clinton, Sen. Bob Dole, the Impeachment Hearings, Special Prosecutor Kenneth Starr, the 2000 elections, and other top stories. Kennerly also had a contract with John F. Kennedy, Jr.s George.

Kennerly has photographed more than 35 covers for Time and Newsweek, and covered assignments in over 130 countries.

He was married to Susan Allwardt in 1967-69, actress Mel Harris from 1983-1988, they have a son, Byron, actress Carol Huston in 1989-92, and Rebecca Soladay from 1994 to present. They have two sons, Nick and Jack.

On March 16, 2006, Kennerly was named NBC News Contributing Editor. He is providing special still-photo essays for NBC and its affiliates.

Kennerly was recently named, “One of the Most 100 Most Important People in Photography” by American Photo Magazine, and was selected as the 2007, “Photography Person of the Year,” by Photo Media Magazine. He received a 1989 Prime Time Emmy nomination for Outstanding Drama as Executive Producer of NBC’s THE TAKING OF FLIGHT 847: THE ULI DERICKSON STORY.

Kennerly was a Fellow in the American Film Institute directing program in 1984-86.

He has won the Overseas Press Club’s Olivier Rebbot Award for “Best Photographic Reporting from Abroad,” for his coverage of Presidents Reagan and Gorbachev’s historic summit meeting in Geneva. He also won first prizes in the World Press contest for his dramatic and powerful photos of the war Cambodia just before it fell to the Khmer Rouge. He has received numerous other awards from the National Press Photographer's Association and White House Press Photographer's Association.

He also worked on several, “Day in the Life,” book projects on The Soviet Union, America, The People's Republic of China, and the United States Armed Forces.

Kennerly is a trustee of the Gerald R. Ford Foundation, and is on the board of the Savannah College of Art & Design Atlanta Board of Visitors, which is chaired by Chrysler Chairman Bob Nardelli, and he is on the board of the Eddie Adams Workshop

The David Hume Kennerly Archive is at the Center for American History, UT Austin, director Dr. Don E. Carleton

Kennerly is a Canon Explorer of Light, and exclusively uses their digital cameras for his work. The August, 2008 issue of pdn features a full page Canon ad about one of his photos that runs on the inside back cover of the magazine.

His most recent book is "Extraordinary Circumstances: The Presidency of Gerald R. Ford." Former First Lady Betty Ford said, “Extraordinary Circumstances is a wonderful record of the Ford Presidency. David Kennerly’s heart and soul are in this book.” Award-winning photographer Doug Menuez said, “The range of images and perfect moments add up to a master class of great photojournalism, timeless, classic and relevant. It feels very emotional, intimate, and worlds away from our current super-posed, photo-op political culture. What is truly amazing is how easy Kennerly makes the photography look. … Extraordinary Circumstances fills an important gap in American history from a rare talent given a ringside seat, it is an incredible achievement.”

David Hume Kennerly Overview

• Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography, (1972) • Trustee, The Gerald R. Ford Foundation, (2008-) • Contributing editor, NBC News (2006 – present) • Contributing editor, Der Speigel Magazine (2008) • Contributing editor, NEWSWEEK Magazine (1996 to 2006) • Personal photographer to President Gerald R. Ford, (1974-77) • National Program Chair for WAMU's, “Home of the Free Student Photojournalism Project”) • Contributing correspondent, ABC's GOOD MORNING AMERICA SUNDAY (1996-98) • Contributing photographer, GEORGE Magazine (1996-99) • Executive Producer, PORTRAITS OF A LADY, HBO • Co-Executive Producer, PROFILES FROM THE FRONT LINES, ABC reality serie with Jerry

       Bruckheimer and Bertram Van Munster

• Executive Producer and Writer, SHOOTER, NBC Television Movie of the Week based on his book

       about Vietnam combat photographers    

• Executive Producer, THE TAKING OF FLIGHT 847, NBC Movie of the Week (1989) • AFI Directing Fellow, 1984-85 • Contract photographer, TIME Magazine (1973-74, 1977-90) • Contributing photographer, LIFE Magazine (1972, 1993-96) • Staff photographer, United Press International (1967-72) • Staff photographer, The Oregonian (1967) • Staff photographer, The Oregon Journal (1966-67)

Books

• EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES: The Presidency of Gerald R. Ford. University of Texas, Center for American History 2007 • PHOTO DU JOUR: A Picture-A-Day Journey through the First Year of the New Millennium, University of Texas Press, 2002. Photo du Jour named one of American Photo Magazine’s Best Photo books of 2002. • SEIN OFF: The Final Days of Seinfeld, HarperCollins, 1998 • PHOTO OP: A Pulitzer Prize Winning Photographer Covers Events That Shaped Our Times, University of Texas Press, 1995 • SHOOTER, Newsweek Books, 1979

Selected Awards: • 1972 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography. • Five prizes each in the 2001 & 2003 White House Press Photographer's contest • Named one of the top 50 top Washington journalists in the March 2001 issue of WASHINGTONIAN

       Magazine, the only photographer on the list 

• Photo Media Magazines 2007 Photographer of the Year • 1997 President's Award for Excellence in Journalism from the Greater Los Angeles Press Club. • 1989 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Drama as Executive Producer of NBC’s THE TAKING OF

       FLIGHT 847; THE ULI DERICKSON STORY

• Overseas Press Club Award for Best Photographic Reporting from Abroad (The Olivier Rebbot

       AWARD, 1986

• 1976 World Press Photo contest (two first place prizes for Cambodian coverages). • National Press Photographers’ contest (first place).

Selected Exhibitions: • Extraordinary Circumstances, various locations 2008 • Savannah College of Art and Design, Lacoste France 2007. Retrospective. • University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication 2006-2007. • University of Texas at Austin - permanent. Photo du Jour exhibition. • Houston Museum of Fine Arts – 2004. Photo du Jour exhibition. • Smithsonian Institution’s Arts and Industries Building 2002. Photo du Jour exhibition • New York Historical Society from 2002 - 2003. • Visa Pour L’Image, Perpignan France. 2000 Retrospective. • U.S. Capitol, Cannon Building Rotunda. 1995 Photo Op exhibition. • Portland Art Museum, Portland Oregon. 1995 Photo Op exhibition. • The Harry Lunn Gallery, 1979 • Moderator – World Press Photo. Moderated conversation among 2006 award winners, USC, 2007 • Guest lecturer - Savannah College of Art and Design, Lacoste France 2007. • Keynote speaker - .Eddie Adams Workshop 2000 – present;

Additional Information: www.kennerly.com

Getty Images exclusively represents Kennerly’s images: www.gettyimages.com

Bibliography

Kennerly has authored five books:

• Shooter, Newsweek books, 1979
• Photo Op: A Pulitzer Prize-Winning Photographer Covers Events That Shaped Our Times, University of Texas Press (1995) ISBN 0292743238
• Sein Off: The Final Days of Seinfeld, HarperCollins, (1998)
• Photo du Jour: A Picture-a-Day Journey through the First Year of the New Millennium,

University of Texas Press, (2003)

• Extraordinary Circumstances: The Presidency of Gerald R. Ford, The University of Texas Center for American History, (2007)

External links

• "David Hume Kennerly", Photojournalism and the American Presidency, University of Texas.
• Kennerly's official web site