Berryman, Clifford Kennedy, 1869-1949

Political cartoonist for the Washington post (1891-1907) and Washington star (1907-1949).

Editorial cartoonist, of Washington, D.C.

Clifford Kennedy Berryman was born in Kentucky on April 2, 1869, after he graduated from Prof. Henry's School for Boys in Versailles, KY, he was appointed as a draftsman to the United States Patent Office in Washington, D.C. He began to submit cartoons to the Washington Post, and in 1891 he became an understudy to the Post's cartoonist, George Y. Coffin (some of whose cartoons are also at Gelman Library). When Coffin died in 1896, Berryman replaced him. Berryman stayed with the Post until 1907, when he was hired by the Washington Star, which had a larger circulation at the time. Clifford Berryman drew political cartoons for the Star for the next 42 years, up until his death. Commenting on Clifford K. Berryman's work, politicians, artists, and reference books note that Berryman cartoons lack the maliciousness that has been a part of American politics throughout the twentieth century. Himself a Democrat, Berryman satirized political figures from both the Democratic party and the G.O.P.. Though he is best known for the November 16, 1902 Washington Post cartoon "Drawing The Line In Mississippi" which portrayed a "teddy bear" for the first time, Berryman's copious work has earned recognition in many venues. In 1944, he won the Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning for "But Where Is The Boat Going?", which showed then-president Franklin D. Roosevelt and various government officials trying to steer, in opposite directions, the "USS Manpower Mobilization."

Cartoonist.

The patriarch of the Berryman family, Clifford Kennedy Berryman, was born in Versailles, Kentucky, in 1869. His first job was in the U.S. Patent Office in Washington, D.C. He became a cartoonist for the Washington Post in 1891. From 1907, until his death in 1949, Clifford Berryman was political cartoonist for the Washington Star, earning a reputation as the "Dean of American Cartoonist," and winning a Pulitzer Prize in 1944. His cartoon of Theodore Roosevelt "Drawing the line in Mississippi," 1902, began the American Teddy Bear craze, and created Berryman's cartoon trademark. He was also the first cartoonist to become president of the Gridiron Club. His wife, Kate, was an avid member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Berryman Family Papers - Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution http://www.aaa.si.edu (Retrieved March 24, 2009)

Cartoonist, originator of cartoon showing President Theodore Roosevelt refusing to shoot a bear cub.

Clifford Kennedy Berryman (1869-1949), American artist and cartoonist, is the orignator of the Teddy Bear during Theodore Roosevelt's presidency.

Biographical Note