Wes Gallagher was an American journalist for the Associated Press. He worked as a reporter during World War II. He died in Santa Barbara, California.

College and early career

Gallagher was born in California and stayed there for his some of his post-secondary education enrolling at University of San Francisco

University of San Francisco

The University of San Francisco , is a private, Jesuit/Catholic university located in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1855, USF was established as the first university in San Francisco. It is the second oldest institution for higher learning in California and the tenth-oldest university of...

, Eventually he departed for the campus of Louisiana State University

Louisiana State University

Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...

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In 1937 he joined the Associated Press

Associated Press

The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...

 at their Buffalo bureau after spending time in the employ of the Baton Rouge Morning Advocate and State Times. While at the State Times he covered the assassination of Huey P. Long.

Work during WWII

During the war Gallagher covered North Africa and Europe for the AP. In 1940 the AP sent him to Copenhagen just in time to witness the Nazi invasion of Denmark. Reporting on the war he covered the Allied invasion of North Africa in 1942, also served in Greece, the Balkans, and Austria.

Gallagher was recalled to the New York bureau in 1951.

Post-war work

In 1945, freshly returned from the combat zones in Europe and Africa, Gallagher was appointed to head AP operations in Germany. He helped oversee the launching of AP's German News Service, based in Frankfurt which was instrumental in helping the German media rebuild after the war. In 1946 Gallagher covered the Nazi war crime trials at Nuremberg

Nuremberg

Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...

. He outscooped his rivals on the verdicts by dashing 100 yards to where his wife, Betty, waited with an open phoneline. He led the Nuremberg coverage for the AP along with Pulitzer Prize

Pulitzer Prize

The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...

 winners Dan DeLuce and Louis P. Lochner

Louis P. Lochner

Ludwig Paul "Louis" Lochner was an American political activist, journalist, and author. During World War I, Lochner was a leading figure in the American and international anti-war movement. Later, Lochner served for many years as head the Berlin bureau of the Associated Press. He is best...

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In 1954 he was appointed Assistant General Manager of the AP, a position he retained until Frank J. Starzel retired as General Manager in 1962. The AP board of directors chose Gallagher to take over the post. One of the duties he fulfilled as General Manager was to write the dedication for each of the annuals the AP produced for the years 1964-78, as well as for other AP publications such as The Instant It Happened, a collection of famous journalistic photographs.