Milton Caniff

Milton Arthur Paul Caniff was an American cartoonist whose prolific career spanned more than 65 years. Born February 28, 1907 in Hillsboro, Ohio, Caniff showed an early talent for drawing, and was the cartoonist for the newspaper of his local Boy Scouts of America chapter. He attended Stivers High School in Dayton and was an outgoing and popular boy, two characteristics that remained with him throughout his lifetime. Caniff continued to cartoon, and he created the strip Chic and Noodles for the student newspaper. It was at Stivers High School that he met Esther Parsons, his future wife. He worked at the Miami Daily News between high school and his freshman year of college. Caniff studied fine art at The Ohio State University where he was very active in student affairs, including Sigma Chi fraternity, dramatic and musical productions, and the student newspaper. During his college career and shortly thereafter, he cartooned at the Columbus Dispatch where he was mentored by Billy Ireland. In 1932, Caniff moved to New York City where he worked as a cartoonist for the Associated Press and did Puffy the Pig, Mister Gilfeather, The Gay Thirties, and Dickie Dare .

Dickie Dare, the story of a young boy who travels with with a two-fisted adventurer to exotic locales featured in classic literature, inspired Captain Joseph M. Patterson to hire him for the Chicago Tribune-New York Daily News Syndicate in 1934. Terry and the Pirates debuted October 22, 1934 and was a masterpiece of art and storytelling. Terry and the Pirates captured the attention of millions of readers who enjoyed Caniff's careful research and lush environments, full of danger, mystery, and femmes fatales. During World War II, Caniff used his fame to create an alternate Terry and the Pirates for the Camp Newspaper Service. Quickly renamed Male Call due to copyright restrictions, this strip was loved by enlisted men. Caniff received no salary for his work on Male Call and considered it his contribution to the war effort.

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