Helen Thomas: A lifelong devotion to journalism

Thomas's work as a White House watchdog began with the Kennedy administration. Although her career ended in controversy, she was celebrated as a pioneering woman in journalism. Thomas died July 20 in Washington. She was 92.

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Unintimidated by presidents or press secretaries, Thomas was known as the dean of the White House press corps for her longevity in the beat. She reported for the UPI wire service for almost 60 years.

/ Bethesda Urban Partnership

1968

Thomas takes notes in the Oval Office with President Lyndon B. Johnson. "Thank you, Mr. President" became Thomas's signature phrase at news conferences.

Frank Wolfe/LBJ Library / Reuters

1975

Thomas rushes after President Gerald Ford, who broke into a run in an attempt to avoid answering question from her about the Vietnam War.

Bettmann / Corbis

1971

Thomas attends a reception with President Richard M. Nixon and Douglas Cornell, a White House reporter for the Associated Press.

/ AP

Oct. 20, 1979

President Jimmy Carter and press secretary Jody Powell, right, talk with reporters Helen Thomas, center, and Sam Donaldson, left, while aboard Air Force One prior to landing at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland.

Charles Tasnadi / AP

1986

Thomas long held a front-row seat at the White House news briefings. She spent much of her life fighting against unearned privilege, leading a decades-long battle to gain female reporters equal access to jobs, news and newsmakers.

Frank Johnston / The Washington Post

1987

Thomas questions President Ronald Reagan. In 1984, when Thomas received the National Press Club's Fourth Estate Award, Reagan told her: "You are not only a fine and respected professional, you have also become an important part of the American presidency."

Don Rypka / AFP/Getty Images

1998

Bill Clinton congratulates Thomas at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner after she received a lifetime achievement award, which was named for her.

Frank Johnston / The Washington Post

Jan. 21, 1989

President George H. Bush speaks with reporters, including Helen Thomas, right, in Washington.

Doug Mills / AP

President Bill Clinton answers a question from Thomas, who held the position of UPI's White House bureau chief for more than 25 years.

Luke Frazza / AFP/Getty Images

2000

Thomas arrives at the 200th anniversary of the White House, exclaiming as she walked in, "Take my picture!" She is accompanied by Charles J. Lewis, the Washington bureau chief for Hearst Newspapers.

James A. Parcell / The Washington Post

2004

Sam Donaldson of ABC News presents Thomas with a lifetime achievement award at the 15th-annual Glamour Women of the Year Awards in New York. Thomas was the first woman to be named White House bureau chief of a major wire service, the first woman admitted to the Gridiron Club, the first woman to serve as president of the White House Correspondents' Association and the recipient of multiple lifetime achievement awards.

Louis Lanzano / AP

2006

President George W. Bush greets Thomas, who was an outspoken critic of his administration and declared him "the worst president in American history."

Charles Dharapak / AP

2007

Thomas takes her front-row seat before the official opening the remodeled Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House.

Jason Reed / Reuters

2010

Thomas retired abruptly in 2010 after she was recorded telling a rabbi that Jews should "get the hell out of Palestine." She apologized, but White House spokesman Robert Gibbs denounced her comments as "offensive and reprehensible."

Saul Loeb / AFP/Getty Images

2008

In 2000, Thomas became a columnist for Hearst News Service. At 89, she was the longest-serving reporter in the White House press corps.

Alex Wong / Getty Images

2010

Thomas questions President Obama during a news conference in the East Room. Thomas criticized the Obama administration for trying to control the media.