Clarence Daniel Batchelor (April 1, 1888 – September 5, 1977), better known as C. D. Batchelor, was an American

editorial cartoonist An editorial cartoonist, also known as a political cartoonist, is an artist who draws editorial cartoons that contain some level of political or social commentary. Their cartoons are used to convey and question an aspect of daily news or curren ...

who was also noted for

painting Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ...

and

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

. He won a

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...

in 1937."Editorial Cartooning"
The Pulitzer Prizes. Retrieved 2013-11-16.

Biography

Batchelor was born in

Osage City, Kansas Osage City is a city in Osage County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 2,861. History Osage City was surveyed and platted in late 1869, after the route of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway ...

. His journalistic career began in 1911 as a staff artist for the ''

Kansas City Star ''The Kansas City Star'' is a newspaper based in Kansas City, Missouri. Published since 1880, the paper is the recipient of eight Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Star'' is most notable for its influence on the career of President Harry S. Truman and as ...

''. From 1914 to 1918 he worked as a free-lance artist, returning to newspapers in 1923 when he worked as a cartoonist in the ''

New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com. It was established ...

'' for the

Ledger Syndicate The Public Ledger Syndicate (known simply as the Ledger Syndicate) was a syndication company operated by the Philadelphia '' Public Ledger'' that was in business from 1915 to circa 1950 (outlasting the newspaper itself, which ceased publishing in ...

until 1931. He then found his permanent niche at the ''

New York Daily News The New York ''Daily News'', officially titled the ''Daily News'', is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, NJ. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in ta ...

'', where he worked until 1969. Batchelor's most famous editorial, published in 1936, reflected the newspaper's

isolationist Isolationism is a political philosophy advocating a national foreign policy that opposes involvement in the political affairs, and especially the wars, of other countries. Thus, isolationism fundamentally advocates neutrality and opposes entangl ...

stance and won the

Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning The Pulitzer Prize for Illustrated Reporting and Commentary is one of the fourteen Pulitzer Prizes that is annually awarded for journalism in the United States. It is the successor to the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning awarded from 1922 t ...

. It depicted a prototypical "Any European Youth" greeted by a skull-faced harlot representing

War War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

, captioned "Come on in, I'll treat you right, I used to know your Daddy." Sympathetic to

women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...

, he contributed cartoons to ''

Woman's Journal ''Woman's Journal'' was an American women's rights periodical published from 1870 to 1931. It was founded in 1870 in Boston, Massachusetts, by Lucy Stone and her husband Henry Browne Blackwell as a weekly newspaper. In 1917 it was purchased by ...

'' and ''The Woman Voter'' (which merged with the ''Journal'' in 1917). He also contributed his art to the causes of

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...

and

public safety Public security or public safety is the prevention of and protection from events that could endanger the safety and security of the public from significant danger, injury, or property damage. It is often conducted by a state government to ensure ...

. Batchelor is also known for having executed a bronze bust of

Joseph Medill Patterson Joseph Medill Patterson (January 6, 1879 – May 26, 1946) was an American journalist, publisher and founder of the '' Daily News'' in New York. At the time of his death the ''Daily News'' maintained a Sunday circulation of 4.5 million copi ...

, the founder of the ''Daily News'' and co-founder of ''

Liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

'' magazine, and a series of oil murals in The News Building.

Gallery

References

External links

Clarence Batchelor
at Spartacus Educational
The Cartoon Collection of C. D. Batchelor
Finding aid, Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, Wichita State University

Special Collections Research Center * (under 'Batchelor, Clarence Daniel, 1888-1977' and same without '1977')

Cartoons and illustrations by C. D. Batchelor
Social Welfare History Image Portal, Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries 1888 births 1977 deaths American editorial cartoonists Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning winners Place of death missing People from Osage City, Kansas {{US-cartoonist-stub