The New York Herald Tribune Syndicate was the syndication service of the ''

New York Herald Tribune The ''New York Herald Tribune'' was a newspaper published between 1924 and 1966. It was created in 1924 when Ogden Mills Reid of the ''New-York Tribune'' acquired the ''New York Herald''. It was regarded as a "writer's newspaper" and competed ...

''. Syndicating

comic strips A comic strip is a Comics, sequence of drawings, often cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often Serial (literature), serialized, with text in Speech balloon, balloons and Glossary of comics ter ...

and newspaper

columns A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression membe ...

, it operated from c. 1914 to 1966. The syndicate's most notable strips were ''Mr. and Mrs.'', ''Our Bill'', ''

Penny A penny is a coin ( pennies) or a unit of currency (pl. pence) in various countries. Borrowed from the Carolingian denarius (hence its former abbreviation d.), it is usually the smallest denomination within a currency system. Presently, it is t ...

'', ''

Miss Peach ''Miss Peach'' was a syndicated comic strip created by American cartoonist Mell Lazarus. It ran for 45 years, from February 4, 1957, to September 8, 2002. Format and style The daily strips often contained only a single panel. The format wa ...

'', and '' B.C.'' Syndicated columns included

Walter Lippmann Walter Lippmann (September 23, 1889 – December 14, 1974) was an American writer, reporter and political commentator. With a career spanning 60 years, he is famous for being among the first to introduce the concept of Cold War, coining the te ...

's ''Today and Tomorrow'' (c. 1933–1967), Weare Holbrook's ''Soundings'',

George Fielding Eliot George Fielding Eliot (22 June 1894 – 21 April 1971) was a second lieutenant in the Australian army in World War I. He became a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and later a major in the Military Intelligence Reserve of the United St ...

's military affairs column, and John Crosby's radio and television column. Irita Bradford Van Doren was book review editor for a time.

History

The syndicate dates back to at least 1914, when it was part of the ''

New York Tribune The ''New-York Tribune'' was an American newspaper founded in 1841 by editor Horace Greeley. It bore the moniker ''New-York Daily Tribune'' from 1842 to 1866 before returning to its original name. From the 1840s through the 1860s it was the domi ...

''. (The ''Tribune'' acquired the ''

New York Herald The ''New York Herald'' was a large-distribution newspaper based in New York City that existed between 1835 and 1924. At that point it was acquired by its smaller rival the ''New-York Tribune'' to form the '' New York Herald Tribune''. His ...

'' in 1924 to form the ''New York Herald Tribune''.) The syndicate's first comic strip of note was

Clare Briggs Clare A. Briggs (August 5, 1875 – January 3, 1930) was an early American comic strip artist who rose to fame in 1904 with his strip '' A. Piker Clerk''. Briggs was best known for his later comic strips ''When a Feller Needs a Friend'', ''Ain't ...

' ''Mr. and Mrs.'', which debuted in 1919. Harry Staton became the editor and manager of the syndicate in 1920; other notable strips which launched in the 1920s included

Harrison Cady Walter Harrison Cady (1877–1970) was an American illustrator and author, best known for his ''Peter Rabbit'' comic strip which he wrote and drew for 28 years. Biography Early life and career Cady was born in Gardner, Massachusetts, to a tow ...

's ''Peter Rabbit'',

Charles A. Voight Charles Anthony Voight (April 28, 1887 – February 10, 1947) was an American cartoonist, best known for his comic strip ''Betty''. Early life Born in Brooklyn, New York, Voight was 14 when he dropped out of school and became an art staffer at ...

's ''Betty'' (which had originated with the

McClure Syndicate McClure Newspaper Syndicate, the first American newspaper syndicate, introduced many American and British writers to the masses. Launched in 1884 by publisher Samuel S. McClure, it was the first successful company of its kind. It turned the marke ...

), Crawford Young's ''Clarence'', and

H. T. Webster Harold Tucker Webster (September 21, 1885 – September 22, 1952) was an American cartoonist known for '' The Timid Soul'', ''Bridge'', ''Life's Darkest Moments'' and others in his syndicated series which ran from the 1920s into the 1950s. Because ...

's ''The Timid Soul'' (which had originated with the ''

New York World The ''New York World'' was a newspaper published in New York City from 1860 until 1931. The paper played a major role in the history of American newspapers. It was a leading national voice of the Democratic Party. From 1883 to 1911 under publi ...

''). All of those strips had long syndication runs of at least 25 years. Strips launched by the Herald Tribune Syndicate in the 1930s included Dow Walling's ''Skeets'' and

Harry Haenigsen Harry William Haenigsen (July 14, 1900 – 1990) was an American illustrator and cartoonist best known for '' Penny'', his comic strip about a teenage girl. He also illustrated for books, magazines and advertising. Biography Born in New York C ...

's ''Our Bill'',Guide to the Harry Haenigsen Papers 1920-1970

Northwest Digital Archives Archives West is an online catalog of descriptive information about the archival collections at various institutions in the western United States (Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Alaska, Utah and Washington). It was established in 2005, and is a program of ...

both of which had long runs.

's arrival in 1931 led to a rotating roster of cartoon features: ''The Timid Soul'' was seen on both Sunday and Monday. Youth's glories (''The Thrill That Comes Once in a Lifetime'') and the downside (''Life's Darkest Moment'') appeared on Saturdays and Tuesdays. On Wednesday, ''The Unseen Audience'' offered satirical jabs at radio. ''How to Torture Your Husband (or Wife)'' was published each Thursday, and the week ended with ''Bridge'' on Fridays."Average Man," ''Time'', Monday, November 26, 1945.
/ref> Strips begun in the 1940s included Haenigsen's ''

''Reynolds, Moira Davison. ''Comic Strip Artists in American Newspapers, 1945-1980''. McFarland, 2003.
/ref> and

Leslie Charteris Leslie Charteris (born Leslie Charles Bowyer-Yin, 12 May 1907 – 15 April 1993), was a British-Chinese author of adventure fiction, as well as a screenwriter.The Saint The Saint may refer to: Fiction * Simon Templar, also known as "The Saint", the protagonist of a book series by Leslie Charteris and subsequent adaptations: ** ''The Saint'' (film series) (1938–43), starring Louis Hayward, George Sanders an ...

''. Buell Weare stepped in as the syndicate business manager in 1946"Syndicate Executives Profiled: Who's Who Among Leading U.S. Syndicate Executives," ''Editor & Publisher'' (Sept. 7, 1946). Archived a
"News of Yore 1946,"
''Stripper's Guide''. and Harold Straubing was comics editor c. 1946-1954.Harold Elk Straubing papers, 1935-1993
Rocky Mountain Online Archive. Accessed Dec. 6, 2017. In the period 1947–1948, the syndicate tried out a number of weekly filler strips, none of which were particularly successful.

Mell Lazarus Melvin Lazarus (May 3, 1927 – May 24, 2016) was an American cartoonist, best known as the creator of two comic strips, ''Miss Peach'' (1957–2002) and ''Momma'' (1970–2016). Additionally, he wrote two novels. For his comic strip ''Pauline M ...

' ''

'' and

Johnny Hart John Lewis Hart (February 18, 1931 – April 7, 2007) was an American cartoonist noted as the creator of the comic strips '' B.C.'' and ''The Wizard of Id''. Brant Parker co-produced and illustrated ''The Wizard of Id''. Hart was recognized ...

's '' B.C.'' debuted in 1957Roberts, Sam
"Mell Lazarus, Cartoonist of 'Miss Peach' and 'Momma,' Dies at 89,"
''New York Times'' (MAY 25, 2016). and 1958 respectively, and both went on to long runs (though ultimately with other syndicates). In 1963, ''New York Herald Tribune'' publisher

John Hay Whitney John Hay Whitney (August 17, 1904 – February 8, 1982) was U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom, publisher of the ''New York Herald Tribune'', and president of the Museum of Modern Art. He was a member of the Whitney family. Early life Whit ...

(who also owned the Chicago-based

Field Enterprises Field Enterprises, Inc. was a private holding company that operated from the 1940s to the 1980s, founded by Marshall Field III and others, whose main assets were the ''Chicago Sun'' and ''Parade'' magazine. For various periods of time, Field Enter ...

) acquired the Chicago-based

Publishers Syndicate Publishers Newspaper Syndicate was a syndication service based in Chicago that operated from 1925 to 1967, when it merged with the Hall Syndicate. Publishers syndicated such long-lived comic strips as '' Big Chief Wahoo/Steve Roper'', ''Mary Wort ...

,Stetson, Damon
"Herald Tribune Is Closing Its News Service: But Meyer Says Columns That Appeared in Paper Will Be in Merged Publication,"
''New York Times'' (June 24, 1966). merging Publishers' existing syndication operations with the New York Herald Tribune Syndicate, Field's

Chicago Sun-Times Syndicate The Field Newspaper Syndicate was a syndication service based in Chicago that operated independently from 1941 to 1984, for a good time under the name the Chicago Sun-Times Syndicate. The service was founded by Marshall Field III and was part of ...

, and the syndicate of the ''

Chicago Daily News The ''Chicago Daily News'' was an afternoon daily newspaper in the midwestern United States, published between 1875 and 1978 in Chicago, Illinois. History The ''Daily News'' was founded by Melville E. Stone, Percy Meggy, and William Dougherty ...

'' (a newspaper that had been acquired by Field Enterprises in 1959). When the ''New York Herald Tribune'' folded in 1966, Publishers inherited the Tribune Syndicate's strips, including '' B.C.'', ''

'', and ''

''. In 1967, Field Enterprises acquired Robert M. Hall's New York-based Hall Syndicate, merging it with Publishers to form the

Publishers-Hall Syndicate Publishers-Hall Syndicate was a newspaper syndicate founded by Robert M. Hall in 1944. Hall served as the company's president and general manager. Over the course of its operations, the company was known as, sequentially, the Hall Syndicate (1944 ...

N.Y. Herald Tribune Syndicate strips and panels

* '' B.C.'' by

(1958–1966) — still running; now syndicated by

Creators Syndicate Creators Syndicate (also known as Creators) is an American independent distributor of comic strips and syndicated columns to daily newspapers, websites, and other digital outlets. When founded in 1987, Creators Syndicate became one of the few suc ...

* ''Betty'' by Charles Voight (April 4, 1920–1943) — Sunday-only strip; acquired from the

* ''Bodyguard / Ben Friday / Bantam Prince'' by

Lawrence Lariar Lawrence Lariar (December 25, 1908 – October 12, 1981) was an American novelist, cartoonist and cartoon editor, known for his ''Best Cartoons of the Year'' series of cartoon collections. He wrote crime novels, sometimes using the pseudonyms Mich ...

and John Spranger and

Carl Pfeufer Carl T. Pfeufer (September 29, 1910 – May 5, 1980Carl Pfeufer

Frank Fogarty (1929–1948) * ''Coogy'' by Irving Spector (1951–1954) * ''Dudley D.'' by

Dave Gantz David Gantz (December 6, 1922 – December 14, 2007) was an American artist and sculptor who illustrated children's books and worked as a newspaper cartoonist. Biography Gantz graduated from The High School of Music & Art in New York City, the ...

(1961–1963; continued until 1964 by

)Gantz entry
''Who's Who of American Comic Books 1928–1999. Accessed Nov. 3, 2018. * ''The Duke and The Duchess'' by

Kin Platt Kin Platt (December 8, 1911 – November 30, 2003) was an American writer, artist, painter, sculptor, caricaturist, and comics artist, best known for penning radio comedy and animated TV series, as well as children's mystery novels, one of whic ...

(April 20, 1952–April 18, 1954) — weekly filler strip * ''G. Whizz Jr.'' by Bill Holman (c. 1924-c. 1931) — also known as ''Gee Whiz Junior'' and simply ''Junior'' * ''Jeanie'' by

Selma Diamond Selma Diamond (August 5, 1920 – May 13, 1985) was a Canadian-born American comedian, actress, and radio and television writer, known for her high-range, raspy voice and her portrayal of Selma Hacker on the first two seasons of the NBC televisio ...

and

Gill Fox Gilbert Theodore Fox (November 29, 1915 – May 15, 2004) was an American political cartoonist, comic book artist and editing, editor, and animator. Biography Fox began his career in animation at Max Fleischer's studio, but left due to labor unr ...

, and later art by Leon Winik (August 26, 1951–September 27, 1953) * ''Jeff Crockett'' by

Mel Casson Mel Casson (July 25, 1920 – May 21, 2008) was an American cartoonist with a 50-year career. He is primarily remembered for his work on the daily comic strips ''Sparky'', ''Angel'', ''Mixed Singles''/''Boomer'' and '' Redeye'', plus numerous ...

(March 8, 1948–February 19, 1952) * ''

'' by

(1957–1966; continued by the

Field Syndicate The Field Newspaper Syndicate was a syndication service based in Chicago that operated independently from 1941 to 1984, for a good time under the name the Chicago Sun-Times Syndicate. The service was founded by Marshall Field III and was part of ...

and later Creators) * ''Mr. and Mrs.'' (1919–1963) originally by

(1919–1930); then by Arthur Folwell, Frank Fogarty & Ellison Hoover (1930–1947); then by

Kin Platt entry
''Lambiek's Comiclopedia''. Accessed Dec. 7, 2017. (1947–1963) * ''Our Bill'' by

(March 6, 1939–1966) * ''

'' by

(1943–1966; continued until 1970 by

and Publishers-Hall) * ''Peter Rabbit'' by

and later

Vincent Fago Vincenzo Francisco Gennaro Di Fago (; November 28, 1914 – June 13, 2002),Vincent F. Fago
at the Unite ...

(August 15, 1920–1957)Markstein, Don
"Peter Rabbit,"
''Don Markstein's Toonpedia''. Accessed Dec. 6, 2017. * ''Peter Piltdown'' / ''Pookie'' by Mal Eaton (December 22, 1947–February 29, 1948) — weekly filler strip
''Lambiek's Comiclopedia''. Accessed Dec. 7, 2017. * ''

Poor Arnold's Almanac ''Poor Arnold's Alamanac'' was a newspaper comic strip by Arnold Roth. Each installment covered a single subject, with Roth devising gags on such topics as baseball, dogs, commuting, elephants, ice cream, smoking and the telephone. Roth wrote a ...

'' by

Arnold Roth :''This is an article about Arnold Roth, the cartoonist. See also Arnie Roth, the musician.'' Arnold Roth (born February 25, 1929) is an American cartoonist and illustrator for advertisements, album covers, books, magazines, and newspapers. Novel ...

(1959–1961) * ''

The Saint The Saint may refer to: Fiction * Simon Templar, also known as "The Saint", the protagonist of a book series by Leslie Charteris and subsequent adaptations: ** ''The Saint'' (film series) (1938–43), starring Louis Hayward, George Sanders an ...

'' by

Leslie Charteris Leslie Charteris (born Leslie Charles Bowyer-Yin, 12 May 1907 – 15 April 1993), was a British-Chinese author of adventure fiction, as well as a screenwriter.Mike Roy Joseph Michel Roy (1921–1996) was a Canadian comic book and comic strip artist, working during the Golden Age of Comic Books and the Silver Age of Comic Books. He is best known for his stories about Native Americans. Biography Born in Queb ...

, and later John Spranger,

Bob Lubbers Robert Bartow Lubbers (January 10, 1922 – July 8, 2017) was an American comic strip and comic book artist best known for his work on such strips as ''Tarzan'', ''Li'l Abner'' and ''Long Sam''. Biography Born Robert Bartow Lubbers in 1922, he be ...

, and

Doug Wildey Douglas S. Wildey He recalled his professional start as freelancing for the magazine and comic book company Street & Smith in 1947. Because comic-book writer and artist credits were not routinely given during this era, the earliest confirmed Wilde ...

(September 27, 1948–September 16, 1961) * ''Shaggy'' by "Gould" (October 7, 1945–July 11, 1948) — weekly filler strip * ''Silver Linings'' by

Harvey Kurtzman Harvey Kurtzman (; October 3, 1924 – February 21, 1993) was an American cartoonist and editor. His best-known work includes writing and editing the parodic comic book '' Mad'' from 1952 until 1956, and writing the ''Little Ann ...

(March 7, 1948–June 20, 1948)Schelly, Bill
''Harvey Kurtzman: The Man Who Created Mad and Revolutionized Humor in America''
(Fantagraphics Books, 2015), p. 108. * ''Skeets'' by Dow Walling (1932–1951) * ''Specs'' by R. Gustafson (May 12, 1946–May 25, 1947) — weekly filler strip * '' The Timid Soul /

Caspar Milquetoast Caspar Milquetoast is a comic strip character created by H. T. Webster for his cartoon series ''The Timid Soul''. Webster described Caspar Milquetoast as "the man who speaks softly and gets hit with a big stick". The character's name is deriv ...

'' by

(1931–1953) — originated with the ''

'' in c. 1924 * ''Tizzy'' by Mal Eaton (1947–1948)

References

{{reflist Comic strip syndicates Companies based in New York City New York Herald Tribune