David Hume Kennerly: 2027 Hatfield Lecture

David Hume Kennerly has spent nearly six decades photographing history as it unfolded. At age 25, he became one of the youngest recipients of the Pulitzer Prize in Journalism for his coverage of the Vietnam and Cambodia wars, refugees fleeing East Pakistan into India, and the Ali–Frazier “Fight of the Century.” Two years later, he was appointed personal White House photographer to President Gerald R. Ford.

Kennerly has photographed 11 U.S. presidents, covered 12 presidential campaigns, documented history in more than 100 countries, and appeared on more than 50 major magazine covers. He served as a contributing editor for Newsweek and a contributing photographer for Time and Life. American Photo named him one of the “100 Most Important People in Photography,” and The Washingtonian recognized him as one of Washington, D.C.’s 50 most influential journalists.

His newest book, In the Room: Sixty Years on the Front Lines of History (releasing October 6, 2026), offers a remarkable visual chronicle of the people and events that shaped the modern era through the lens of one of America’s most celebrated photojournalists. Kennerly is also the author of six previous books, including Extraordinary Circumstances: The Presidency of Gerald R. Ford.

In 2016, the Oregon Historical Society honored Kennerly with its Oregon History Makers Award. His archive of nearly one million photographs and historical materials is housed at the University of Arizona Center for Creative Photography, where he also serves as the university’s first Presidential Scholar. He is a Senior Fellow at the USC Center on Communication Leadership and Policy and a trustee of the Ansel Adams Publishing Trust.