Conrad, Paul, 1924-2010

Paul Conrad, winner of three Pulitzer Prizes and many other awards, was the editorial cartoonist for the Los Angeles Times from 1964 until his semi-retirement in 1993. Previously, he served as cartoonist for the Denver Post from 1950 to 1964. He has also published several volumes of collected cartoons. His cartoons continue to appear in syndication worldwide.

Paul Conrad was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on June 27, 1924. After serving in the Army for five years, he earned a degree in art from the University of Iowa. In 1950 he joined the Denver Post as a political cartoonist. His work attracted attention and he was syndicated weekly by the Hall sydicate and later by the L.A. Times syndicate. He joined the staff of the L.A. Times as a cartoonist in 1964. Conrad won many professional honors for his work including Pulitzer Prizes in 1964 and 1971.

Paul Conrad (1924-2010) was an American Pulitzer Prize winning editorial cartoonist.

Paul Francis Conrad was born on June 27, 1924 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. During World War II, Conrad served with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and he received a B.A. in art from the University of Iowa in 1950, where he contributed cartoons to college paper, the Daily Iowan . Growing up in Iowa, Conrad was inspired by Jay Norwood "Ding" Darling’s cartoons in the Des Moines Register . From 1950 to 1964, Conrad was the editorial cartoonist at the Denver Post with his work distributed by the Hall Syndicate. He left the Denver Post for the Los Angeles Times .

Conrad joined the Los Angeles Times several years after Otis Chandler became publisher, marking an era of change in which the newspaper's editorial page began to voice more liberal viewpoints and the paper worked to increase its visibility and expand its influence, which sparked criticism from more conservative members of the famed Chandler family. Conrad's cartoons were part of that new direction. His work was also syndicated through the Los Angeles Times Syndication. Conrad remained with the Los Angeles Times until 1993 when he accepted a buyout after changes to the paper's management took place, with the Chandler family no longer having a connection to the paper.

Conrad was renowned for his bold depictions and in particular his caricatures of Richard Nixon during Watergate. Conrad's work angered Nixon and other politicians: he was named on Nixon's infamous enemies list and Los Angeles mayor Sam Yorty brought a libel suit against Conrad in 1968. Ironically, Conrad would later hold the Richard M. Nixon Lecture Chair at Whittier College from 1977 to 1978.

Conrad won his first Pulitzer Prize in 1964 for his work at the Denver Post and received two additional Pulitzer prizes in 1971 and 1984. Conrad was also a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 1998. Sigma Delta Chi presented several awards to him (1953, 1969, 1971, 1981-1982, 1996). His many other recognitions include seven Distinguished Service Awards by the Society of Professional Journalists and four Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Awards (1985, 1990, 1992-1993).

Several compilations of Conrad’s cartoons have been published including Pro and Conrad (1979), Drawn and Quartered (1985) and his autobiography, I, Con : the autobiography of Paul Conrad, editorial cartoonist (2006). The PBS Independent Lens documentary released in 2006, PAUL CONRAD: Drawing Fire, explored Conrad's 50 year career. Also a sculptor, Conrad's bronze works of political leaders were exhibited at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Paul Conrad lived in Rancho Palos Verdes, California and continued to draw editorial cartoons into his 80s, which were distributed by the Tribune Media Syndicate. He died at his home on September 4, 2010.