Biography
George Tames was a renowned Greek-American photojournalist, best known for his four-decade run covering Washington politics. Born in Washington, D.C. to immigrant parents from Epirus, he grew up in a modest home within sight of the Capitol and spoke Greek at home. A first-generation American during the Great Depression, he left school in the 1930s to help support his family. At 19, he was hired as an office boy at the Time-Life bureau, where he taught himself photography and soon began accompanying veteran congressional photographers on assignment. By 1940, he was already documenting major events on Capitol Hill, including hearings of the famed Truman Committee during World War II—experience that shaped him as a young news photographer.
In 1945, Tames joined The New York Times as a staff photographer, launching a 40-year career. From that vantage point he chronicled Washington without pause, becoming a familiar presence in the corridors of Congress and the White House. He became the only photographer to have photographed every U.S. president from Franklin D. Roosevelt through Bill Clinton, spanning nearly half a century of American history. Colleagues described his quick wit, keen eye, and easy rapport with powerful figures—traits that earned unusual access. He disliked the pack shot, seeking instead unconventional angles and unguarded moments; with a strong sense of space and an intimate feel for his subjects, he forged a personal style that revealed the human side of power.
Among his most famous images is “The Loneliest Job” (1961), showing John F. Kennedy alone, silhouetted in backlight at the Oval Office window—an eloquent study of presidential burden. Another hallmark series from 1957 captures Lyndon Johnson applying the notorious “Johnson Treatment” to a fellow senator, foreshadowing the dominance of his future presidency. Tames also photographed Richard Nixon and many other leaders in candid, revealing situations, offering the public a more human view beyond official portraiture. His standing was such that Dwight D. Eisenhower chose Tames photographs as the basis for his official presidential portrait, and a U.S. commemorative stamp was issued from one of his images. He earned numerous honors, including awards from the White House News Photographers Association and the National Press Club’s Fourth Estate Award for lifetime achievement.
Tames’s contribution to political photojournalism remains pivotal—and a point of pride for the Greek-American diaspora. His body of work forms a visual chronicle of postwar America, from state ceremonies and protests to private, telling moments among the powerful. Many of his photographs appeared in The New York Times Magazine and now serve as vital historical documents. He recounted his experiences in the memoir Eye on Washington: The Presidents Who’ve Known Me (1990), a vivid reflection on the relationship between photographer and power. He continued working almost to the end of his life; he died in February 1994. His archive was subsequently donated to museums and featured in tribute exhibitions, ensuring that his legacy continues to inspire new generations.
Selected Bibliography
- Tames, George. Eye on Washington: The Presidents Who’ve Known Me. New York: HarperCollins, 1990.
- Binder, David. “George Tames, Photographer, Dies at 75.” The New York Times, February 24, 1994.
- Conroy, Sarah Booth. “Reflections of History.” The Washington Post, May 14, 1995.
- U.S. Senate Historical Office. Oral History Interview: George Tames (Washington, D.C., 1980). Washington: U.S. Senate, 1984.
- National Portrait Gallery. Image of the Presidency: Photographs by George Tames, 1944–1974 (exhibition catalogue). Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution, 1996.
This biography was created with the assistance of AI.