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Clarence Daniel Batchelor

Clarence Daniel Batchelor's drawing "Peace of Mind"Clarence Daniel “C.D” Batchelor was born April 1, 1888, in Osage County, Kansas. Batchelor attended Salina High School and upon graduation went to the Chicago Art Institute. Batchelor got his start as an editorial cartoonist with the Salina Journal, but soon after was hired as a staff artist for the Kansas City Star. In 1914 he became a free-lance artist and eventually moved to New York City where he worked for the New York Mail and the New York Times. In 1931 Batchelor became the chief editorial cartoonist for the New York Daily News. Batchelor’s cartoons often addressed issues concerning women’s suffrage, post-war repercussions, communism, as well as many other political and social issues.

Batchelor received the Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartoons in 1937 for a cartoon titled “Come on in, I’ll treat you right. I used to know your Daddy.” The cartoon depicts a skeleton representing War talking to a young man representing European youths.

Batchelor retired from the Daily News in 1969 and ended his career at the National Review in the early 1970s. Batchelor also dabbled in other art forms including oil murals and sculpting. Batchelor and his third wife, Allegra Summers Taylor, donated more than 6,000 original cartoons to the Syracuse University Library. He died September 5, 1977, in Deep River, Connecticut.

Entry: Batchelor, Clarence Daniel

Author: Kansas Historical Society

Author information: The Kansas Historical Society is a state agency charged with actively safeguarding and sharing the state's history.

Date Created: May 2012

Date Modified: April 2016

The author of this article is solely responsible for its content.