W MI woman learned leadership in documenting Carter

ROCKFORD, Mich. (WOOD) — A West Michigan woman is reflecting on her time documenting Jimmy Carter’s presidency while working as a staff photographer at the White House.

The 98-year-old began hospice care at his home last month.

Mary Dailey Brown worked in the White House as an official staff photographer in the last year of Jimmy Carter’s administration.

“I basically shot his events every day,” Brown said. “We did a lot of state dinners.”

She was one of five staff photographers working at the White House.

This courtesy photo shows Mary Dailey Brown when she was a photographer for the Carter administration.

“The hostage crisis was going on and the president didn’t leave the country because he was committed to get those hostages back and so he didn’t travel except for the campaign, which I did get to travel a little bit with him,” Brown said.

She remembers looking down to switch lens in one of the first meetings she documented.

“When the president goes like this that means you have to leave the room and I said, ‘Oh, I didn’t see that.’ He says ‘Well, all you’ve got to do is get the people and you can get out,’” Brown said.

This photo of President Jimmy Carter was taken by Mary Dailey Brown, then the White House photographer.
This photo of President Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton was taken by Mary Dailey Brown, then the White House photographer.
This photo of President Jimmy Carter was taken by Mary Dailey Brown, then the White House photographer.
This photo of President Jimmy Carter was taken by Mary Dailey Brown, then the White House photographer.
This photo showing Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter (left) and Nancy and Ronald Reagan (right) was taken by Mary Dailey Brown, then a White House photographer.
This photo of President Jimmy Carter and first lady Rosalynn Carter was taken by Mary Dailey Brown, then the White House photographer.

Brown, who is originally from the Chicago area, has called Rockford home since the 90s. She said President Carter would treat everyone in the room with respect.

“We would go in before other people into the Oval Office. We’d be there waiting and then they would bring the people in, he would greet them and then we’d photograph that greeting and while we were waiting, he would often say, ‘How was your weekend?’ He would ask about us,” Brown said.

Her favorite image, which is arguably her most iconic, shows Carter in the oval office the day after losing the election to Ronald Regan.

“It actually went out over all the wires that day because I was the only black and white photographer in the room that day,” Brown said.

This photo of President Jimmy Carter was taken by Mary Dailey Brown, then the White House photographer.

With the 98-year-old former president’s health waning, Brown is reflecting back on the impact he had on her.

“He was a person with a well-lived life,” Brown said. “He was a great influence on my life. I learned a lot about leadership from him.”

All of Brown’s photos, including the negatives, live on in the National Archives, which is an honor she will always cherish.

“It’s really a pleasure to know that I could serve this country and the president in such a kind of intimate way. It’s really neat to be able to photograph him and his wife and to record history as it was happening,” Brown said.