John T. McCutcheon

John Tinney McCutcheon (May 6, 1870 – June 10, 1949) was an American newspaper political cartoonist, war correspondent, combat artist, and author who won a Pulitzer Prize for his 1931 editorial cartoon, "A Wise Economist Asks a Question", and became known even before his death as the "Dean of American Cartoonists". He moved to Chicago, Illinois, in 1890 to work as an artist and occasional writer for the Chicago Morning News (later named the News Record, the Chicago Record, and the Record-Herald). His first front-page cartoon appeared in 1895 and his first published political cartoon was published during the U. S. presidential campaign of 1896. McCutcheon introduced human interest themes to newspaper cartoons in 1902 and joined the staff of the Chicago Tribune in 1903, remaining there until his retirement in 1946. McCutcheon's cartoons appeared on the front page of the Tribune for forty years.

Among his best-known works are "Injun Summer", considered one of the best in his "boy" series of cartoons; his series of "Bird Center" cartoons, which depicted daily life in a fictional small town; and "The Colors", one of his most famous wartime cartoons. His autobiography, Drawn from Memory (1950), was published posthumously. As a war correspondent and combat artist, McCutcheon covered the Spanish–American War, the Battle of Manila Bay and the Philippine–American War, and the Second Boer War in South Africa. He also reported from Europe during World War I, beginning with his eyewitness account of the German invasion of Belgium. In addition, McCutcheon, made several trips to Asia, Mexico, Africa, and the Bahamas, where he owned a private island called Salt Cay.

Early life and education John Tinney McCutcheon was born on May 6, 1870, near South Raub in rural Tippecanoe County, Indiana, to Captain John Barr McCutcheon and Clara (Glick) McCutcheon. McCutcheon's father was an American Civil War veteran, a farmer, stock raiser, and sheriff of Tippecanoe County. The McCutcheon family moved to Lafayette, Indiana, in 1876, when John Barr McCutcheon was named the first director of Purdue University's farming operations.

McCutcheon had two brothers and one sister. His older brother was journalist and novelist George Barr McCutcheon (1866–1928), who authored Graustark (1901) and its related books, as well as other literary works. Ben Frederick McCutcheon, the youngest brother, became a columnist for the Chicago Tribune and, after 1905, its commercial editor. Ben McCutcheon also headed in publishing company. All three brothers wrote and did drawings during their youth. Their sister was Jessie (McCutcheon) Nelson.

The McCutcheon family maintained a home in Lake Forest, Illinois,

McCutcheon's first front-page cartoon appeared in 1895. His artistic style also transitioned from illustrator to cartoonist beginning with his first published political cartoons during the William McKinley–William Jennings Bryan presidential campaign of 1896. McCutcheon's five-column work for the front page of the Record-Herald featured humorous cartoons, not merely illustrations of news stories. A signature part of his cartoons also included the regular appearance of a non-descript dog, which became popular with his audience. In 1902 McCutcheon introduced a new type of cartoon that featured human-interest themes. He also began his famous series of boy-themed cartoons. Another series reported on Prince Henry of Prussia's American tour.

Chicago Tribune cartoonist Baby New Year 1905 chases old 1904 into the history books in this John T. McCutcheon cartoon. McCutcheon left the Record-Herald in 1903 and moved to the Chicago Tribune where he remained until his retirement in 1946.

McCutcheon's cartoons appeared on the front page of the Chicago Tribune for forty years and included many memorable works such as "A Boy in Springtime" and "Injun Summer" (considered one of the best in this "boy" series).

Correspondent, combat artist, and world traveler

In addition to his work as a newspaper cartoonist, McCutcheon became a war correspondent and combat artist who covered the Spanish–American War, the Philippine–American War, and the Second Boer War in South Africa, as well as Europe during World War I. He also became a world traveler. He was buried at Graceland Cemetery in Chicago. Evelyn McCutcheon completed her husband's unfinished autobiography, Drawn from Memory, which was published posthumously in 1950. She also disbursed his collection of original drawings. at Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York; and in the collections of the University of Missouri Libraries.

Best known for his political cartoons, McCutcheon's 1932 Pulitzer Prize–winning editorial cartoon, "A Wise Economist Asks a Question", McCutcheon High School at Tippecanoe County, Indiana, (his home county) is named in his honor. McCutcheon is memorialized in a coeducational dormitory named McCutcheon Hall on the Purdue University campus in West Lafayette, Indiana. The lobby displays an original of one of his drawings, a nearly life-size drawing of a young man. Travel Plaza 1, Mile Post 22, at Portage, Indiana, on the Indiana Toll Road is named after McCutcheon.

Selected published works Stories of Filipino Warfare (1900) with introduction by George Ade Army Song Book (1918) Bird Center Cartoons: Chronicle of Social Happenings at Bird Center (1904) Congressman Pumphrey, the People's Friend (1907) Doing the Grand Canyon (1909) History of Indiana (1911) Dawson ’11, Fortune Hunter (1912) The Restless Age (1921) An Heir At Large (1923) The Island Song Book (1927) illustrated with photographs and cartoons by the author Drawn from Memory: The Autobiography of John T. McCutcheon (1950)

In addition to his own work, McCutcheon illustrated newspaper and magazine stories and books for George Ade, as well as providing illustration for his brother, novelist George Barr McCutcheon.