Biographical Note

ANDY HANSON: BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE  

Andrew “Andy” Anthony Hanson was born March 7, 1932 on a citrus farm in Falfurrias, Texas. The youngest of five children of a Swedish immigrant and a Chicago native, Andy’s interest in photography started at the age of ten with his first camera, a Brownie, and a darkroom in the family garage. In high school, he was already interested in journalism, and he circulated a hand-printed newspaper.

Andy attended Texas A&I University, Kingsville, Texas (now Texas A&M University, Kingsville) and served as editor and photographer of the campus newspaper and the college yearbook. He transferred to the University of Houston to complete a B.S. in journalism. As a University of Houston student, Andy worked part-time in the darkroom at the Houston Post. After graduation in 1955, he took a full-time position as photojournalist at the Houston Post until 1959.

In 1960, Andy moved to Dallas to join the photography staff of the Dallas Times Herald where he remained until the newspaper closed in December 1991. He was an event photographer covering notable national and local people at various functions, social gatherings, speeches, also stage, theater and such musical performances as opera, symphony and concerts. 

His large archive which is held at the Prints & Photographs collection of the DeGolyer Library, SMU includes photographs, negatives and papers of both local and national politicians, celebrities, musicians and sports figures.

Hanson resided in Dallas, Texas and continued to work until his death on October 22, 2008.

The DeGolyer Library celebrated Hanson’s long career in Dallas with the Andy Hanson: Picturing Dallas 1960-2008 exhibit that took place between December 6, 2019 and January 29, 2019. Here is a selection of photographs from that exhibit which was curated by Anne E. Peterson, Curator of Photographs.