James Kenneth Ward Atherton (December 16, 1927 – November 29, 2011), was a press photographer active in Washington D.C. for over forty years. Early years and education Born on December 16, 1927, in the District of Columbia. He was the son of Fairfax Malcolm Atherton (1892-1971) and Mildred Herrsher (1900-1958), the daughter of a Bavarian immigrant who settled in Fort Worth, Texas. His father, Fairfax was born in Atlanta, and worked for the U.S. Federal Court in Washington D.C. Atherton graduated from Roosevelt High School, before joining the United States Navy. He served during 1946 and 1947. Career Atherton served in Honolulu, and travelled to mainland China, and other parts of Asian Pacific region, and eventually became a U.S. military photographer during the period of Nuclear testing at Bikini Atoll by the United States. The United States Navy gave Atherton the opportunity to pursue a trade in order to return to civilian life and he elected to attend a photography college in Silver Spring, Maryland. In 1948 he was a staffer for the wires, as a telephoto operator at ACME Newspictures agency, becoming a photographer in 1950 at ACME, which a year later became part of United Press International. He remained a freelancer for UPI for a period of over twenty years. Initially, as the rookie, he worked the night shift, and soon encountered difficulty gaining access to high society parties in Washington D.C. He overcome this cultural barrier, by dressing in the attire the hosts had stipulated for their guests. Atherton joined the National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) in 1955 and remained a Life Member of this association. The first Annual White House Photographers Association Photo Contest took place in 1956. The following year, Atherton caught the attention of President Dwight D. Eisenhower and was praised for photographing his wife, Mamie Eisenhower peering through a mask with a “I like Ike” slogan at a Republican Rally. He remained a member of this association beyond his retirement. Atherton photographs encapsulate the period of the Kennedy administration, between January 1961 and November 1963. He was recognized on April 27, 1962, at the Annual White House Photographers Association Photo Contest (1962), by winning first prize. That year, he also won first in the White House Photographers Association “personalities category”, with photo of Caroline Kennedy in conversation with a playmate. Other significant photographs included “a night view of the Capitol”, and Roger Maris