Joseph Jamieson, 101; News Photographer Covered White House

Joseph D. Jamieson, 101, an Associated Press photographer who covered Franklin Delano Roosevelt's White House, the veterans' Bonus Marches of 1932 and the 1937 Mississippi River flood, died of pneumonia May 20 at Casey House in Rockville.

Mr. Jamieson started his long photo career at age 17 at The Washington Post. He was working as a copy boy when a fire call came in; the newsroom was empty, so he grabbed a camera and rushed to the scene. His photo was used, and from that moment on, Mr. Jamieson was a photographer, covering sports and features.

He also shot a photo that ran across the top of the front page of The Post on Feb. 4, 1924, a somber and iconic portrait of formally dressed mourners bowed in prayer on the sidewalk outside former president Woodrow Wilson's home shortly before his death was announced.

Mr. Jamieson worked at The Post until 1928, then joined the Associated Press. He covered Presidents Calvin Coolidge and Herbert C. Hoover but came into his own while covering Roosevelt. He started on the assignment in 1933, traveling more than 50,000 miles a year by train with the president. He worked for the New York Times' Wide World Photo Service until the AP bought it in 1941. Mr. Jamieson continued to cover the Roosevelt administration as well as the Capitol.

Mr. Jamieson's travels took him to Alaska and Bermuda, shooting the visit of Queen Elizabeth II, but he also enjoyed covering the National Spelling Bee every year. In the 1950s, he became a photo assignment editor, deploying the wire service photographers to both ordinary and extraordinary assignments, such as inaugurations and the funeral of President John F. Kennedy. He retired in 1971.

Mr. Jamieson was born in Toledo on June 21, 1906. He moved to the District as a boy and attended local public schools. He was a scoutmaster for Bethesda Boy Scout Troop 211 and enjoyed making gadgets to teach semaphore, or flag signaling, and a covered wagon to haul gear on hikes. He also liked woodworking and made clocks, furniture, toys and puzzles.

His wife of 74 years, Judith Melton Jamieson, died March 1.

Survivors include two daughters, Judy Lentz of Bethesda and Joanne Norris of Santa Barbara, Calif.; and four grandsons.