James Atherton (photographer)

James Kenneth Ward Atherton (December 16, 1927 - November 29, 2011), was a veteran news photographer who caught iconic moments through a lens in Washington D.C. for over forty years.[1][2]

Early years and education

Born on December 16, 1927, in the District of Columbia.

He graduated from Roosevelt High School before joining the U.S. Navy shortly after World War II. He served in Asia as a military photographer.

Career

After serving in the military, Atherton was a staffer for the wires at United Press International for a period of twenty years. He covered every U.S. president from Harry S. Truman to Richard Nixon, as well as the major events of the day, such as the McCarthy hearings, the 1963 March on Washington and the State funeral of John F. Kennedy.[3] Very few contemporary world leaders from this period of history escaped his lens.[4]

President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy bid farewell to Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace of Monaco. UPI photographer James K. W. Atherton can seen on the right edge

In 1970 he became a staff photographer and picture editor at The Washington Post. Following his award-winning photo coverage of the Watergate hearings, he continued to cover Capitol Hill throughout the Iran–Contra affair hearings.[5]

The Boston Globe described how his colleagues referred to him as:

Bad Light Atherton

from his practice of sacrificing what other photographers considered the best (or easiest) lighting conditions for a more arresting image.[6][7]

Later years

He retired in 1990, however continued to make himself available to students of photo journalism and academia until his death.

Honors

In 1997 he received the Kodak Professional White House National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) Achievement Award. He was described as a major influence on photographers and news photography in the nation's capitol. Atherton had joined the NPPA in 1955 and was a Life Member of this association.[8][9]

Death

Atherton had suffered from cardiovascular discomfort since a heart attack and bypass surgery in 1999. He died on November 29, 2011, aged 83 in Annapolis, Maryland. He was survived by his wife Patricia. He was buried at St. Paul's United Methodist Church Memorial Garden, in Kensington, Maryland.[10][11]

Press around the U.S. paid tribute to him, with lengthy obituaries featured in the Boston Globe, The New York Times and the Washington Post.[12][13]

Legacy

The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum has identified 75 photographs in its collection that have either been attributed to Atherton, or he is a protagonist in the photo. [14]

References
  1. "Time Magazine: In memory of the photographers we lost in 2011".
  2. "JFK Library has a handful of photographs of J K W Atherton with JFK during the Cuban Missile Crisis".
  3. "U.S. Library of Congress Biographical Tribute to J K W Atherton".
  4. "Getty Images photos by J K W Atherton".
  5. "Getty Library Images attributed to James K Atherton".
  6. "Biography of J K W Atherton and his photography".
  7. "J K W Atherton Obituary in the Washington Post".
  8. "National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) article on J K W Atherton".
  9. "History of the WHCA". www.whca.net. White House Correspondents' Association.
  10. "The Capital Gazette: James K. Atherton obituary".
  11. James K W Atherton at Find a Grave
  12. "J K W Atherton Obituary in the Washington Post".
  13. "J K W Atherton Obituary in the Boston Globe".
  14. "JFK Library - Photos attributed or connected to J K W Atherton".
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