Edmund Trissell was born in Dayton, Ohio, but raised between Kansas City and Independence, Missouri. His first significant photographs as a photographer were of Harry S. Truman during his campaign for Senate in 1928. These photographs are currently housed in the Truman Library. Beginning in 1935, Trissell worked as a government surveyor in high precision mapping and charting. His work as a surveyor led to the network of longitude and latitude mappings used by modern aircraft. During World War II, he served in the First Photo Mapping and Charting Group at Bolling Field, Washington, D.C. and in the 13th Air Force as a photographer in the South Pacific. Trissell's photographs during the war include such dignitaries as Presidents Roosevelt and Truman, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin. After the war, Trissell worked in the photographic laboratory at Wright Field. He retired after 32 years in civil service and spent most of his time photographing his family, weddings, and local events in the Dayton area.
From the guide to the Edmund Trissell Collection, 1940-1995, (Wright State University, Special Collections and Archives)
