Memorable Manitobans: Claude Peter “Dett” Dettloff (1899-1978)

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Claude Dettloff
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Photographer.

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Claude Dettloff
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Born at Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin on 7 July 1899, as a boy he delivered papers for the Minneapolis Tribune and in 1923 took up working for the paper as a photographer. In 1925 he joined the Winnipeg Tribune where he became the paper’s chief photographer.

Dettloff worked for eleven years at the Tribune covering many major events including the June 1935 On-to-Ottawa Trek. In 1936 he left the paper to become the chief photographer for the Vancouver Daily Province. He would remain with the Province until his retirement in 1962.

He became famous for pictures of two events. The first was his full-page spread of images of the 1938 Vancouver police strike. The second was his memorable “Wait for Me, Daddy” photograph of a boy running after his marching dad as the New Westminster brigade went overseas. Published in the Province on 1 October 1940, “Wait for Me, Daddy” was eventually named one of the ten best pictures of the 1940s by Life Magazine. His photography was often praised for its “emotional quality and genuine and remarkable technical skill.”

He died at Vancouver on 18 July 1978.

See also:

Events in Manitoba History: Winnipeg Theatre Fire (23 December 1926)

Sources:

Death registration, British Columbia Vital Statistics.

We thank Candace Macpherson for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Michael Dupuis and Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 11 August 2013

Memorable Manitobans

Memorable Manitobans

This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations.

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