Peterson, David

Kansas City native, David Peterson, is a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer. His first Pulitzer was for Feature Photography won in 1987 for his photo essay on the Farm Crisis. Peterson’s photos were taken over a six month period, in 1986 as he criss-crossed the state of Iowa documenting the worst economic depression since the Great Depression. Farm foreclosures, lost jobs and the decline of small-town life were the byproducts of the crisis that swept across the nation and his home state of Iowa. Along with these events, there was a human toll with a range of emotions that came with it, as farm families and small businesses were lost.

His second Pulitzer was won in 1991, for Community Service which he shared with staff writer Jane Schorr. Together they told the story of a Des Moines woman who was raped in her car before taking an exam at a local college. The two-part series focused on her willingness to come forward with her name, and prosecute the rapist. Most victims of sexual assault never report the crime.

Peterson’s career as a photojournalist spanned over three decades, working for the Topeka Capital-Journal and the Des Moines Register. His introduction to photography was serendipitous.

In 1972, on a family trip to Chile, his photographic journey unexpectedly began. A Chilean friend put a Nikon camera in Peterson’s hands and changed his world. The snow-capped volcanoes, pristine lakes, and epic beauty of the country’s Lake Region called to him as he looked through the viewfinder. That day marked the beginning of an enduring relationship with photography that continues to this day.

But by necessity, a different photographic path emerged, distant from the Chilean landscapes. The more “practical” application of a career as a newspaper photographer evolved. Peterson returned to college seeking a second undergraduate degree in journalism and was then hired at the Topeka Capital-Journal, a newspaper that was known for its excellence in photography and valued the use of photography as a story-telling medium. The skills and experience he developed in Topeka served him well in his next job at the Des Moines Register, where he worked for 30 years before retiring. After his long stint as a newspaper photographer, Peterson and his wife Julie