Poinier, Arthur.

Art Poinier (1911-1998) was an American editorial cartoonist.

Arthur B. "Art" Poinier was born February 9, 1911. He received a B.A. from Ohio Wesleyan in 1932 and while in college he drew sports cartoons for the Columbus Dispatch . During the Great Depression, Poinier worked for the Cleveland Press . After being laid off, in 1934, he moved to Iowa to work as a staff artist for the Des Moines Register and Tribune from 1934 to 1936. During World War II, Poinier served with the United States Navy as an air combat intelligence officer.

In 1939, Poinier joined the staff of the Detroit Free Press . In 1951 he left that position to be the editorial cartoonist for the Detroit News . During his career, his work was distributed by the Bell Syndicate and Associated Newspapers. He also drew the Jitter strip from 1936 to 1943, whose title character was a rambunctious chimpanzee.

Poinier was a member of the National Cartoonists Society and at one time president of the American Association of Editorial Cartoonists. His work appeared in the annual compilation Best Editorial Cartoons of the Year . He received eight awards from the Freedoms Foundation while with the Detroit News, including one for a cartoon that was critical of the Vietnam War. He was also a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

Poinier was also a farmer and grew apples on his farm. He retired in 1976 and died on May 4, 1998 in Lexington, Kentucky.

From the guide to the Arthur B. Poinier Cartoons, 1952-1968, 1960-1968, (Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries)