Herblock

/herr"blok/, n.

See Block, Herbert Lawrence.

* * *

orig. Herbert Lawrence Block

born Oct. 13, 1909, Chicago, Ill., U.S.

died Oct. 7, 2001, Washington, D.C.

U.S. editorial cartoonist.

He first published his cartoons in the Chicago Daily News (1929). Later he worked for the Newspaper Enterprise Association (1933–43) and the Washington Post (from 1946). A leading spokesman for liberalism, he attacked injustices in politics, big business, industry, labour, and economics throughout his 70-year career. He is best known for his 1950s cartoons attacking Senator Joseph McCarthy. The winner of three Pulitzer Prizes (1942, 1954, 1979), Herblock received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1994.

* * *

▪ 2002

Herbert Lawrence Block 

      American political cartoonist (b. Oct. 13, 1909, Chicago, Ill.—d. Oct. 7, 2001, Washington, D.C.), had a 72-year-long career, through the terms of 13 presidents, during which his drawings, syndicated in hundreds of newspapers throughout the U.S. and in several other countries, simply and clearly spotlighted his support of civil liberties and civil rights and his view of the political issues of the day. He was awarded three Pulitzer Prizes (1942, 1954, and 1979—the last for his entire body of cartoon work) and shared a fourth (1973) with the Washington Post. Herblock's talent was apparent early, and at age 11 he began classes at the Art Institute of Chicago, which the following year awarded him a scholarship. He attended Lake Forest (Ill.) College for two years but dropped out (1929) to work for the Chicago Daily News. Before long, his cartoons were being syndicated. Herblock was employed by the Newspaper Enterprise Association in Cleveland, Ohio, from 1933 to 1943, during which his work focused attention on the dangers of the rise of fascism in Europe. Following World War II army service (1943–46), Herblock joined the Washington Post and began producing six cartoons a week; only late in life did he cut back to five a week. An early target was Sen. Joseph McCarthy and his communist witch-hunts, and it was Herblock who coined the term McCarthyism. Another favourite target was Richard M. Nixon, whom Herblock's cartoons always showed sporting a five o'clock shadow until he became president, at which time Herblock desisted out of respect for the office. Besides his cartoon work, Herblock wrote 12 books, including Herblock: A Cartoonist's Life (1993). He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1994, and his final cartoon appeared on Aug. 26, 2001.

* * *

▪ American cartoonist

byname of  Herbert Lawrence Block  

born October 13, 1909, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.

died October 7, 2001, Washington, D.C.

      American editorial cartoonist who won Pulitzer Prizes in 1942, 1954, and 1979.

      Herblock's first cartoons appeared in the Chicago Daily News in 1929. He worked for the Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA) from 1933 to 1943 and joined The Washington Post in 1946. A leading cartoon spokesman of liberalism, Herblock attacked injustices in politics, big business, industry, labour, and economics. He is probably best known for his cartoons of the early 1950s attacking the threat of native fascism as personified by Senator Joseph McCarthy. As a recurring menace, McCarthy rivaled another favourite Herblock character, a personified “clean” atom bomb. Other notable cartoons are his depictions of Russian premier Joseph Stalin and U.S. President Richard Nixon. His works include The Herblock Book (1952), Herblock's Here and Now (1955), The Herblock Gallery (1968), Herblock on All Fronts (1980), and other collections of cartoons. His autobiography, Herblock: A Cartoonist's Life, appeared in 1993. In 1994 he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

* * *