U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for February 17

WASHINGTON, Feb. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110428/DC91889LOGO)

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17: FIRST PRESIDENTIAL PICTURE

Profile America — Friday, February 17th.  It's rare for a day to go by in which the president of the United States is not seen in multiple newspaper and magazine photographs.  The "clack" of shutters and the accompanying burst of light from camera flashes is part of every public event involving the chief executive.  The first photograph of a U.S. president was taken this week in 1849 when James K. Polk, America's 11th president, posed for his picture just before the end of his term in office.  The photographer was Matthew Brady, whose extensive coverage of the Civil War would later make him famous.  Today, 161,000 Americans make their living as photographers.  Profile America is produced by the U.S. Census Bureau: Measuring America—People, Places, and Our Economy.

Sources:  Chase's Calendar of Events 2012, p. 127

               440 International Calendar of Events, Those Were the Days

               Statistical Abstract of the United States 2012, t. 616

Profile America is produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look for "Multimedia Gallery" by the "Newsroom" button). 

CONTACT: Rick Reed of the U.S. Census Bureau, +1-301-763-2812, fax: +1-301-763-3762, richard.thomas.reed-at-census.gov

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau