Art Young

Arthur Henry Young (January 14, 1866 – December 29, 1943) was an American cartoonist and writer. He is best known for his socialist cartoons, especially those drawn for the left-wing political magazine The Masses between 1911 and 1917.

Biography

Early years Art Young was born January 14, 1866, near Orangeville, in Stephenson County, Illinois. His family moved to Monroe, Wisconsin when he was a year old. His father, Daniel S. Young, was a grocer there; his mother was Amanda Young (née Wagner). He issued a collection of his drawings, The Best of Art Young, in 1936.

Legal difficulties First Masses trial Having Their Fling by Art Young was brought into court as evidence during the second trial in September/October 1918. Young continued to incur legal trouble with his drawings during his years at the Masses. In October 1917, the federal government charged Young, Max Eastman, John Reed, Floyd Dell, Merrill Rogers and a one-time contributor with conspiracy to impede enlistment under the Espionage Act. When their trial began in April the next year, Young was asked to justify his cartoon "Having Their Fling", in which four men—an editor, a capitalist, a politician and a minister—are depicted dancing in orgiastic bliss as Satan leads a band of war implements. Young blandly stated he was simply illustrating General Sherman's well-known saying that "war is hell." It seemed appropriate to him, then, to have Satan as the conductor. The first trial ended in a hung jury, with 11–1 for conviction.

Second Masses trial The second trial began in September 1918. It was as full of humor and irreverence as the first—but perhaps more humorous for historians than for Young. Throughout the trial, Young had the tendency to nap, an act that brought him dangerously close to being charged with contempt of court. Afraid that Young would get into more trouble than he already was, his attorneys insisted he be awakened and given a pencil and pad, which he used to compose a self-portrait. The drawing, "Art Young on Trial for His Life", appeared in the Liberator in June 1918. It depicted Young slumped in a chair, dozing the trial away.

Young's propensity for napping worked to his advantage during the closing arguments. Prosecutor Barnes, wrapped in an American flag and giving a moving speech, told a story of a dead soldier in France. This soldier, Barnes claimed, "is but one of a thousand whose voices are not silent. He died for you and he died for me. He died for Max Eastman. He died for John Reed. He died for Merrill Rogers. He demands that these men be punished." Roused from his slumber by the impassioned speech, Young exclaimed, "What! Didn't he die for me too?" The beautiful oration successfully ruined, the second jury was unable to convict or acquit. Eight jurors voted for acquittal and four for conviction. It was the last time Young appeared in court for the charges, as they were dropped after failing twice to garner any convictions.

Death Young died on December 29, 1943, at the Hotel Irving in New York City, at age 77.

Works Hell Up to Date: The Reckless Journey of R. Palasco Drant, Newspaper Correspondent, Through the Infernal Regions, as Reported by Himself. Chicago: F. J. Schulte, July 1894. Author's Readings. Frederick A. Stokes, 1897. Through Hell with Hiprah Hunt. New York: Zimmerman, 1901. The Best of Art Young. Introduction by Heywood Broun. New York: Vanguard Press, 1936. Thomas Rowlandson. New York: Willey, 1938. Art Young: His Life and Times. Edited by John Nicholas Beffel. New York: Sheridan, 1939. Types of the Old Home Town. Bethel: Seraphemera, 2015.

Legacy and honors Young's papers are housed in the Special Collections Library of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

The World War II Liberty ship was named in his honor.