David Hume Kennerly was born on March 9, 1947 Oregon, United States. He is the son of O.A. "Tunney" Kennerly, a traveling salesman, and the son of the sheriff of Klamath County, 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.
David 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, Green and Gold.
A freelance photographer since 1977, primarily with Time magazine, David Kennerly was personal photographer to President Gerald R. Ford from 1974 to 1977. Prior to that he was a contract photographer for Life and Time (1972-1974), United Press International staff photographer (1967-1972), staff photographer for Oregon Journal and Portland Oregonian (1966-1967) and staff photographer for The Lake Oswego Review (1965-1966). David Kennerly authored Extraordinary Circumstances: The Presidency of Gerald R. Ford.
(The last thirty years of American history have produced a...)
1995(The only book commemorating Barack Obama’s historic Inaug...)
2009(Awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of the Vietna...)
1979(David Hume Kennerly On the iPhone is a series of essays, ...)
2014
Quotes from others about the person
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."
James Earl Jones: "David Hume Kennerly is like Forrest Gump, except he was really there."
Michelle Nunn / CEO Points of Light: "He possesses the rare ability to synthesize the heart and soul of an individual or situation into singular compelling images."
Herman Wouk / Author of “The Winds of War: "David Kennerly once said to me: "In photography everything can be taught, except how to see."
Howard Fineman/Editorial director of the AOL Huffington Post Media Group: "Kennerly modestly refers to himself as a "political photographer." That's true, as far as it goes. But it's like calling Matthew Brady a "war photographer" or Thomas Eakins a "Philadelphia portrait painter." Kennerly is as good as it gets in a craft he defined."
(m. 1967; div. 1969)
(m. 1983; div. 1988)
(m. 1989; div. 1992)
(m. 1994)
