Temple, Keith

Keith Temple (1899-1980) was an Australian-American editorial cartoonist who worked for the New Orleans Times-Picayune for over 40 years.

Born in Australia in 1899, Temple volunteered at age 17 to serve with the Australian Imperial Forces during World War I. Temple’s brother was killed in the war and Temple himself was wounded. After his discharge, Temple decided to travel around the world. While visiting the United States in 1919, Temple ended up in a New Orleans hospital due to complications from his World War I wound. After his release from this costly hospital stay, Temple had to seek work and was hired as a reporter and news artist with the Times-Picayune . Temple left to spend one year with the New Orleans Item until he returned to the Times-Picayune as their editorial cartoonist. His first editorial cartoon with the paper appeared on May 23, 1923.

While an editorial cartoonist, Temple studied painting and sculpture at the New Orleans Arts and Crafts Club. Prompted by a libel suit at the newspaper involving one of his editorial cartoons, he also studied law at Loyola University, receiving a degree in 1927. Temple received a George Washington Honor Medal from the Freedoms Foundation in 1966. Temple retired from the Times-Picayune in 1967 and was replaced by Eldon Pletcher. Following retirement, Temple pursued painting, often creating works focused on New Orleans history drawn from his memories of New Orleans from the time following his arrival there and sketches he had made at the time.

Keith Temple died in Missisippi in 1980.