Description
Walter E. Bennett (1921-1995) was the first salaried photographer for
Time, where he worked from 1952 to 1982. The collection consists of photographic materials such as prints, negatives and slides.
It also includes miscellaneous manuscripts and ephemera related to Bennett's life and career.
Background
Walter Edward Bennett was born on August 16, 1921 in the London suburb of Hornsey, England. He attended John C. Fremont High
School in Los Angeles, where he was first exposed to photography through a vocational training class. On November 11, 1942
Bennett joined the Army as a camera man and photo lab tech. He was honorably discharged on January 3, 1946 from the 18th Reinforcement
Battalion. Upon returning to Los Angeles, Bennett became a life guard at Hermosa Beach. In 1952, Bennett was hired by Time and became the first-ever salaried photographer at the magazine. For the next 30 years, Bennett worked primarily in Washington
D.C. where he photographed presidents, politicians, foreign dignitaries, events, and notable personalities. During this time,
Bennett was sent on numerous assignments to photograph presidents during visits of state. Bennett's proximity and longevity
in the press arena of Washington D.C. led to his befriending a number of politicians, such as Lyndon B. Johnson, Hubert Humphrey
and members of the Kennedy family. Bennett retired in 1982 and died on April 29, 1995.
Restrictions
Property rights to the physical objects belong to UCLA Library Special Collections. All other rights, including copyright,
are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright
and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.