Paul Francis Conrad (June 27, 1924 – September 4, 2010) was an American political cartoonist and winner of three Pulitzer Prizes for editorial cartooning. In the span of a career lasting five decades, Conrad provided a critical perspective on eleven presidential administrations in the United States. He is best known for his work as the chief editorial cartoonist for the Los Angeles Times during a time when the newspaper was in transition under the direction of publisher Otis Chandler, who recruited Conrad from the Denver Post.
At the conservative Times, Conrad brought a more liberal editorial perspective that readers both celebrated and criticized; he was also respected for his talent and his ability to speak truth to power. On a weekly basis, Conrad addressed the social justice issues of the day—poverty in America, movements for civil rights, the Vietnam War, the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, and corporate and political corruption were leading topics. His criticism of president Richard Nixon during the Watergate scandal landed Conrad on Nixon's Enemies List, which Conrad regarded as a badge of honor.
Early life Conrad was born to Robert and Florence Conrad. He was raised in a conservative, Catholic family with his identical twin brother James and older brother Bob in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He attended St. Augustin Elementary School in Des Moines, where he first began to show interest in art by writing on the bathroom wall. He was left-handed, but was forced by teachers to favor his right hand. Until the age of 12, Conrad stuttered.Longden, T. (2009, March 25). Famous Iowans - Paul Conrad . The Des Moines Register. Retrieved August 11, 2014. At an early age, Conrad was exposed to the work of Jay Norwood Darling, more popularly known as "Ding Darling", whose conservative cartoons were featured in local newspapers and who became a "childhood role model" for Conrad.Smith, G. (1997). Celebrating Success: Inspiring Personal Letters on the Meaning of Success. Health Communications. .
After graduating from Roosevelt High School, he and his brother spent time working construction jobs in Valdez, Alaska. Conrad also honed his talent as a musician while playing piano in a bordello. With World War II raging, Conrad and his brother enlisted. Because of his poor eyesight, Conrad was initially found to be unfit for military service, but he later served as a truck driver with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the Pacific Theater of Operations at Guam and Okinawa, where he was given the nickname of "Con". He originally planned to attend Iowa State University after the war in 1945, but instead taught himself to play bass and joined a big band.Schudel, M. (2010, September 5). Pulitzer-winning political cartoonist Paul Conrad dies at 86 . The Washington Post, p. B04.
When the band did not work out, Conrad enrolled at the University of Iowa in 1946, where he studied art. He first got the idea to become a cartoonist while hanging out at a local bar in Iowa City. At the bar, his friend Charlie Carroll, then the editor for the school's newspaper, the Daily Iowan, told Conrad that they needed a cartoonist, and he invited Conrad to give it a try.Cedar Rapids native, cartoonist Paul Conrad dies at 86. (2010, September 5). The Gazette. Archived from the original on November 11, 2013. Retrieved August 11, 2014.Hawkins, H. (1980). Interview with political cartoonist Paul Conrad. KPBS. UC San Diego Library. One of his first cartoons for the Daily Iowan depicted Herbert Hoover, the 31st President of the United States. Conrad was soon creating six cartoons a week. Impressed with Conrad's cartoons, his professors sent the Denver Post copies of his work.McFadden, R. D. (2010, September 4). Paul Conrad, Cartoonist, Dies at 86 . The New York Times. Retrieved November 8, 2013.
Denver Post After graduating from the University of Iowa with a degree in art in 1950,Paul Conrad Cartoons . (2009, October 23). Syracuse University. Retrieved September 1, 2010. Conrad joined the Denver Post, where he drew cartoons for the next 14 years. Early in his career, Conrad sought out the then retired Ding Darling in Florida for advice, and showed him copies of his work from the Daily Iowan. Unimpressed, Ding told Conrad to "get into another line of work". This discouragement from his childhood role model pushed Conrad to work harder at the Post. At the newspaper he received support and encouragement from his editor, Palmer Hoyt, although he occasionally ran into trouble, especially when he attracted attention for creating critical, unflattering cartoons of Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th President of the United States.Times Political Cartoonist Paul Conrad to Retire . (1993, January 25). Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 8, 2013.Try, Try Again. (1960, October 31). Time, 76 (18): 56. Retrieved August 11, 2014. In 1960, Time magazine recognized Conrad's talent, saying that he was "probably the nation's hottest new cartooning property".One of the Few. (1960, June 13). Time, 75 (24): 54. Retrieved August 11, 2014. Long, C. (1971, July). Cover story. The Quill, 59(7): Society of Professional Journalists, Sigma Delta Chi. Conrad received the Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning in 1964.Fischer, H. D. (2011). 1964 Award: About Attitudes and Hopes Toward Integration in 1963. The Pulitzer Prize Archive: A History and Anthology of Award-winning Materials in Journalism, Letters, and Arts. Part E: Liberal Arts. (Vol. 13: Editorial Cartoon Awards 1922–1997, pp. 165–168). De Gruyter Saur. . His cartoons for the Post were distributed through the Register and Tribune Syndicate in 81 newspapers.Cartoonist Going West. (1964, January 31). Time, 83 (5): 42. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
Previously, in December 1963, lead cartoonist Bruce Russell of the Los Angeles Times died of a heart attack. Russell had worked for the conservative paper since 1927. Publisher Otis Chandler, in an attempt to replace Russell and to improve the reputation of the Times, recruited Paul Conrad with the help of editor Nick Boddie Williams.Halberstam, D. (2000). The Powers That Be. University of Illinois Press. . Conrad took the offer of an initial three-year contract and was later replaced at the Post in August 1964 by Australian cartoonist Pat Oliphant from the Adelaide Advertiser.Down Under to Denver. (1964, September 18). Time, 84 (12), 86. Retrieved August 11, 2014. Heitzmann, W. R. (1988, September). The Power of Political Cartoons in Teaching History . [PDF] Occasional Paper. National Council for History Education. p. 4. Retrieved August 11, 2014. Conrad also lectured at the Denver Art Museum in 1964 under a sponsorship from the Cooke-Daniels Lecture Fund.
Los Angeles Times Conrad moved his family to southern California, and for three decades, from 1964 to 1993, he worked as the chief editorial cartoonist for the Los Angeles Times. His cartoons were now syndicated to hundreds of newspapers worldwide. In April 1967, Conrad drew the cover for Time magazine in an issue about the potential candidates for the 1968 United States presidential election. The cover art depicts the upcoming election as a horse race with the candidates as jockey's weighing-in. Caricatures of Lyndon B. Johnson, Bobby Kennedy, Hubert Humphrey, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, George Romney, Nelson Rockefeller, and Charles Percy grace the cover.A Letter From The Publisher . Cover art. (1967, April 14). Time, 89 (15): 35. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
During the Watergate scandal, Conrad drew numerous cartoons about Richard Nixon's downfall. One cartoon showed Nixon, during his last days as president, nailing himself to a cross.Lamb, C. (2006, October 17). The State of Political Cartooning . Paul Conrad: Drawing Fire. Independent Lens. Retrieved November 15, 2013. Conrad later described the cartoon as one of his all-time favorites.French, Y. (1999, October). Afflicting the Comfortable . Library of Congress Information Bulletin, 58(10). Retrieved November 8, 2013. In 1973, the Associated Press contacted Conrad to inform him that he had been added to Nixon's Enemies List. Unperturbed, Conrad considered his place on this list as a badge of honor, but members of the list were exposed to greater scrutiny by the government and subject to investigation.Freeman, L. (2008). The Offensive Art: Political Satire and Its Censorship around the World from Beerbohm to Borat. ABC-CLIO. . His tax returns were subsequently audited by the IRS several times, but no changes were made.
Conrad accepted an early retirement from the Times on April 1, 1993, but continued to draw four cartoons a week in syndication for the Los Angeles Times Syndicate. Editorial cartoonist Michael Ramirez replaced Conrad at the Times with a conservative approach.Astor, D. (1997, July 26). Los Angeles Times hires Mike Ramirez. Editor & Publisher, 130(30): 30.Lamb, C. (2004). Drawn to Extremes: The Use and Abuse of Editorial Cartoons. Columbia University Press. .
Sculptures
Conrad first became interested in sculpture in the mid-1970s. After working on a drawing of a crucifix depicting the Christian doctrine of the Trinity, he decided to use steel to create it. He spent time at the public library learning to make welded sculpture and three months later emerged with a sculpture titled The Trinity, which was installed at Marymount College.Conrad, Paul (Summer 1980). A Preface to the Sculpture . Michigan Quarterly Review, 19 (3): 339–340. Retrieved August 11, 2014. Although it was made from steel, Conrad gave The Trinity a verde patina to give it the appearance of copper. The sculpture was restored in 2012.Founders Week 2012 . The Marymount Mariner News. Retrieved July 17, 2014.
After working with large sculpture, Conrad began creating small bronze sculptures of famous Americans, beginning with Richard Nixon.Martelle, Scott (April 8, 2006) Paul Conrad's work with bronze caricatures . Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 16, 2014. Additional sculptures followed, including caricatures of Jerry Brown, Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, John F. Kennedy, Ted Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr. Six of these sculptures were featured in an exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in 1979.Ianco-Starrels, Josine (March 18, 1979). Conrad Cartoons on View at LACMA. Los Angeles Times.Bradner, Liesl (September 1, 2010). 'I, Con: The Brilliant Work of Paul Conrad' on exhibit . Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 16, 2014. In the 1980s, Conrad often donated smaller bronze sculptures for fundraisers.Jones, A. (2001, October 26). Pen-and-ink prophet . National Catholic Reporter, 38 (1): 12–13. Later sculptures included Golda Meir, Abraham Lincoln, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush. Writer Grady Miller of the Canyon News, who met and visited with Conrad at his home in the late 1990s, recalled that Conrad "was specially proud of his bronze sculptures, which could be taken as an illustration of both his artistic range and his political beliefs".Miller, Grady (October 3, 2010). Paul Conrad: A Bitter Appreciation . Canyon News. Retrieved August 16, 2014.
Conrad also created several other works of public art: Risen Christ, an altar piece located at Saint John Fisher Catholic Church in Rancho Palos Verdes, California; Otis Chandler, a bust of the publisher installed in the Los Angeles Times building; and Chain Reaction, a peace monument in the shape of a mushroom cloud located in the Santa Monica Civic Center.
Awards