ABSTRACT

Dave Valdez quickly figured out the key to his success in the world of George H. W. Bush. It happened in December 1983, during Valdez's first day on the job as the chief photographer for Bush when he was vice president. Son Jeb Bush and daughter-in-law Columba brought their new infant to see grandpa at a Miami Beach hotel. The vice president took the infant into a back bedroom, and Valdez's first reaction was not to intrude. But he guessed that this situation might make a good picture and he wanted to set the precedent that he would have all the access he wanted in the future, as David Kennerly had during Gerald Ford's presidency. After Bush was elected president in 1988, the new commander in chief asked Valdez to stay on as the official presidential photographer, and Valdez served the president from January 1989 to January 1993, taking 65,000 rolls of film.