Milton Brooks
Milton Brooks | |
|---|---|
 Brooks in 1942 | |
| Born | Milton E. Brooks August 29, 1901 St. Louis, Missouri US |
| Died | September 3, 1956 (aged 55) |
| Other name | Pete |
| Occupation | Photojournalist |
Milton E. "Pete" Brooks (August 29, 1901 – September 3, 1956) was an American photojournalist who won the first Pulitzer Prize for Photography in 1942.
Biography
[edit]Brooks was born on August 29, 1901, in St. Louis. His father, James W. Brooks, was also a newspaper reporter and "desk man".[1] Brooks worked for the Chicago Daily News, the Chicago Herald-Examiner, New York Daily News, and Paramount News.[2] From 1928 to 1953, he was a staff photographer for The Detroit News.[1] He typically took one photograph per event, waiting for the most interesting thing to happen.[2] After leaving The Detroit News, he became a commercial photographer. Physically, he was a stocky red-headed man, and he hobbied in boating.[1] He died on September 3, 1956, aged 55, in Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan.[3]
Ford Strikers Riot
[edit]
In 1942, Brooks won the inaugural Pulitzer Prize for Photography. The photograph, which he took on April 3, 1941,[4] was named The Picket Line in an early mention,[5] though came to be known as Ford Strikers Riot. It was taken during the 1941 workers' strike at the Ford River Rouge complex, and depicts strikers beating a strikebreaker, who is trying to protect himself by pulling his coat over his head and face.[6] Brooks was awarded $500 by newspaperman Geoffrey Parsons for the photograph,[7][8] as well as a $100 prize in the seventh Editor & Publisher photography contest on April 17.[9][5]
Describing the circumstances surrounding the photo, Brooks said, "I took the picture quickly, hid the camera under my coat and ducked into the crowd. A lot of people would have liked to wreck that picture".[10]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 "Winners of 1942 Pulitzer Awards and Two Successful Entries" New York Times, May 5, 1942.
- 1 2 Fischer, Heinz-Dietrich (2015). Key Images of American Life: Pulitzer Prize Winning Pictures. LIT Verlag Münster. p. 62. ISBN 978-3-643-90518-5.
- ↑ "Obituaries: Milton E. (Pete) Brooks". Detroit Free Press. September 6, 1956 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Pulitzer Prize Winning Picture". Charleston Gazette. 1942-05-06. p. 7.
- 1 2 "Detroiter Wins". The Courier. 1942-04-18. p. 7.
- ↑ Fischer, Heinz-Dietrich; Fischer, Erika J., eds. (2010). Press Photography Award 1942–1998: From Joe Rosenthal and Horst Faas to Moneta Sleet and Stan Grossfeld. Vol. 14. DeGruyter. pp. 4–5. ISBN 9783598301841.
- ↑ "Larry Allen of A.P. Wins Pulitzer Prize For Stories of War". The Washington Star. 1942-05-05. p. 5. Retrieved 2025-10-02.
- ↑ "Awards". The Washington Star. 1942-05-04. p. 3. Retrieved 2025-11-02.
- ↑ "Times Photog Wins 2nd Prize in U.S. Contest". The Times of Northwest Indiana. 1942-04-19. p. 1.
- ↑ "M.E. Brooks, Photo Prize Winner, Dies", Detroit News, Sept 4, 1956.
