Martin, Edgar Everett, 1898-1960.

Edgar Everett ("Abe") Martin was born in Indianapolis in 1898. He attended Monmouth College where his father was a biology professor, but left in his junior year to study at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts. He joined the Newspaper Enterprise Association in 1921 as a syndicated cartoonist. Martin's Boots and her buddies was introduced as a daily comic strip on February 18, 1924 and became popular immediately. Boots and her buddies Sunday strip originally was the top strip for the Our boarding house page, 1926-1931. Martin then began a full Sunday page of his own titled Girls, which in 1934 became Boots. Popular paper cut-outs were featured on the Sunday pages. During the 1950s the Boots story line was written by University of Missouri student and English instructor Thomas B. Harris after approval by Martin and then NEA. Harris was married to Martin's daughter Mary. Thomas Harris' entire career was spent at the University of Missouri-Columbia, where he progressed to Assistant Dean and Associate dean of the College of Arts and Science. Edgar Martin died in 1960 and the daily strip ceased on 10/15/60. The Sunday page was taken over by Harris' former assistant, Les Carroll and was published until March 30, 1969. Thomas Harris died in 1992.

From the description of The Edgar E. Martin collection I : papers, 1926-1972. (University of Missouri -- Columbia). WorldCat record id: 44672002

From the description of The Edgar E. Martin collection II : papers, 1935-[ongoing]. (University of Missouri -- Columbia). WorldCat record id: 44672340