Much debate begins today about the legacy of President Ford who died Tuesday at 93. For those of us who lived through the Vietnam War era, Watergate, attempted assassinations, and the BeeGees may argue over Ford’s pardon of Nixon or how he was portrayed at the end of the war. Even today it took no more than a couple of posts on the sportsshooter forum about his death to begin political debate about the decision.
Lost in this argumentative environment is Ford’s relationship with David Hume Kennerly who became the president’s personal photographer. Kennerly had already won his Pulitzer Prize for Vietnam war coverage in 1972 when he began to work for Time magazine covering the White House where he met Ford. Kennerly’s tenure as Chief White House Photographer is described in Shooter
Kennerly’s photos helped define Ford’s presidency. Never elected to the office, Ford’s image of a studious, serious man worried about his impact on history was illustrated through Kennerly’s fly on the wall images. This type of intimate access and coverage ended with the Ford presidency. No president since has allowed a photographer to roam through the halls of the White House and residence with such abandon. We are at a loss because of it.
There’s more to read about Kennerly at Rangefinder and PhotoWorkshop.
Eds Note: Is this the best photo The New York Times can find to use on the front of their Web site to illustrate the story of Ford’s death?
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