The Field Newspaper Syndicate was a syndication service based in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

that operated independently from 1941 to 1984, for a good time under the name the Chicago Sun-Times Syndicate. The service was founded by

Marshall Field III Marshall Field III (September 28, 1893 – November 8, 1956) was an American investment banker, publisher, racehorse owner/breeder, philanthropist, grandson of businessman Marshall Field, heir to the Marshall Field's, Marshall Field departmen ...

and was part of

Field Enterprises Field Enterprises, Inc. was a private holding company that operated from the 1940s to the 1980s, founded by Marshall Field III and others, whose main assets were the '' Chicago Sun'' and '' Parade'' magazine. For various periods of time, Field En ...

. The syndicate was most well known for ''

Steve Canyon ''Steve Canyon'' is an American Action-adventure comics, action-adventure comic strip by cartoonist Milton Caniff. Launched shortly after Caniff retired from his previous strip, ''Terry and the Pirates (comic strip), Terry and the Pirates'', ''S ...

'', but also launched such popular, long-running strips as ''

The Berrys ''The Berrys'' was a family comic strip drawn by Carl Grubert and distributed by Field Newspaper Syndicate. It ran from October 30, 1942, until December 28, 1974. A 1934 alumnus of the University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of ...

'', '' From 9 To 5'', ''

Rivets A rivet is a permanent mechanical fastener. Before being installed, a rivet consists of a smooth cylindrical shaft with a head on one end. The end opposite the head is called the ''tail''. On installation, the deformed end is called the ''sh ...

'', and '' Rick O'Shay''. Other features included the editorial cartoons of

Bill Mauldin William Henry Mauldin (; October 29, 1921 – January 22, 2003) was an American editorial cartoonist who won two Pulitzer Prizes for his work. He was most famous for his World War II cartoons depicting American soldiers, as represented by the ...

and

Jacob Burck Jacob Burck (née Yankel Boczkowsky, January 10, 1907 – May 11, 1982) was a Polish-born Jewish-American painter, sculptor, and award-winning editorial cartoonist. Active in the Communist movement from 1926 as a political cartoonist and muralist, ...

, and the "

Ask Ann Landers Ann Landers was a pen name created by ''Chicago Sun-Times'' advice columnist Ruth Crowley in 1943 and taken over by Esther Pauline "Eppie" Lederer in 1955. For 56 years, the ''Ask Ann Landers'' syndicated advice column was a regular featur ...

" advice column.

History

The Chicago Sun Syndicate was founded in December 1941, concurrent with the founding of Marshall Field III's '' Chicago Sun'' newspaper. Long-time syndication veteran Henry Baker was installed as manager. Comic-strip historian

Allan Holtz Allan Holtz () is an American comic strip historian who researches and writes about newspaper comics for his Stripper's Guide blog, launched in 2005. His research encompasses some 7,000 American comic strips and newspaper panels. In addition to h ...

has written regarding the origins of the Field Syndicate and its relationship to the rest of the company: Field formed

in August 1944, and the syndicate became known as Field Enterprises Syndicate. One of the first major strips syndicated by Field was the hugely popular ''

Mutt and Jeff ''Mutt and Jeff'' is a long-running and widely popular American newspaper comic strip created by cartoonist Bud Fisher in 1907 about "two mismatched wikt:tinhorn, tinhorns". It is commonly regarded as the first daily comic strip. The concept o ...

'' (first launched in 1907), which moved over from the Bell Syndicate-North American Newspaper Alliance. With the ''Chicago Sun'' and '' Chicago Daily Times'' merger in January 1948, the syndicate absorbed the Chicago Times Syndicate,"Who's Who Among Leading U.S. Syndicate Executives," ''

Editor & Publisher ''Editor & Publisher'' (''E&P'') is an American monthly trade news magazine covering the news media industry. Published since 1901, ''Editor & Publisher'' is the self-described "bible of the newspaper industry," with offices in Hendersonville, ...

'' (September 7, 1946), archived a
"News of Yore 1946: Syndicate Executives Profiled,"
''Stripper's Guide'' (July 21, 2010). and installed its general manager, Russ Stewart, as head of Field Enterprises. At some point circa 1950, the Field Syndicate changed its name to the Chicago Sun-Times Syndicate. In 1963 Field Enterprises and ''

New York Herald Tribune The ''New York Herald Tribune'' was a newspaper published between 1924 and 1966. It was created in 1924 when Ogden Mills Reid of the '' New York Tribune'' acquired the '' New York Herald''. It was regarded as a "writer's newspaper" and compet ...

'' publisher

John Hay Whitney John Hay Whitney (August 17, 1904 – February 8, 1982) was an American venture capitalist, sportsman, philanthropist, newspaper publisher, film producer and diplomat who served as U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom, publisher of the '' New ...

acquired the Chicago-based

Publishers Newspaper Syndicate Publishers Newspaper Syndicate (later Publishers Syndicate) was a Print syndication, syndication service based in Chicago that operated from 1925 to 1967, when it merged with the Hall Syndicate. Publishers syndicated such long-lived comic strips as ...

, merging syndication operations with the Chicago Sun-Times Syndicate, the New York Herald Tribune Syndicate, and the syndicate of the ''

Chicago Daily News The ''Chicago Daily News'' was an afternoon daily newspaper in the midwestern United States, published between 1875 and 1978 in Chicago, Illinois. History The ''Daily News'' was founded by Melville E. Stone, Percy Meggy, and William Dougherty ...

'' (a newspaper that had been acquired by Field Enterprises in 1959). In 1967, Field Enterprises acquired Robert M. Hall's Hall Syndicate, merging it with Publishers to form the

Publishers-Hall Syndicate Publishers-Hall Syndicate was a newspaper syndicate founded by Robert M. Hall in 1944. Hall served as the company's president and general manager. Over the course of its operations, the company was known as, sequentially, the Hall Syndicate (1944� ...

, and thus taking on distribution of such popular, long-running strips as ''

Mary Worth ''Mary Worth'' is an American newspaper comic strip that has had an eight-decade run from 1938. Distributed by King Features Syndicate, this soap opera-style strip influenced several that followed. It was created by writer Allen Saunders and ar ...

'', '' Steve Roper'', ''

Penny A penny is a coin (: pennies) or a unit of currency (: pence) in various countries. Borrowed from the Carolingian denarius (hence its former abbreviation d.), it is usually the smallest denomination within a currency system. At present, it is ...

'', '' Kerry Drake'', '' Rex Morgan, M.D.'', ''

Judge Parker ''Judge Parker'' is an American soap opera-style comic strip created by Nicholas P. Dallis that first appeared on November 24, 1952. The strip's look and content were influenced by the work of Allen Saunders and Ken Ernst on ''Mary Worth''. C ...

'', ''

Miss Peach ''Miss Peach'' was a syndicated comic strip created by American cartoonist Mell Lazarus. It ran for 45 years, from February 4, 1957, to September 8, 2002. Format and style The daily strips often contained only a single panel. The format was ...

'', '' B.C.'', and ''

The Wizard of Id ''The Wizard of Id'' is a daily newspaper comic strip created by American cartoonists Brant Parker and Johnny Hart. Beginning November 9, 1964, the strip follows the antics of a large cast of characters in a shabby medieval kingdom called "Id ...

''. In 1975, syndication operations absorbed Publishers-Hall, and were renamed the Field Newspaper Syndicate, taking on such strips as '' Dennis the Menace'', '' Funky Winkerbean'', ''

Mark Trail ''Mark Trail'' is a newspaper comic strip created by the American cartoonist Ed Dodd. Introduced April 15, 1946, the strip centers on Environmentalism, environmental and ecological themes. As of 2020, King Features syndicated the strip to "near ...

'', and '' Momma''. The operation was renamed News America Syndicate (NAS) in 1984, after the company was purchased by

Rupert Murdoch Keith Rupert Murdoch ( ; born 11 March 1931) is an Australian - American retired business magnate, investor, and media mogul. Through his company News Corp, he is the owner of hundreds of List of assets owned by News Corp, local, national, a ...

News Corporation The original incarnation of News Corporation (abbreviated News Corp. and also variously known as News Corporation Limited) was an American Multinational corporation, multinational mass media corporation founded and controlled by media mogul Ru ...

. Richard S. Newcombe (coming over from the Los Angeles Times Syndicate) was named President of NAS, which at that point was considered the third-most powerful syndicate, after King Features and

United Media United Media was a large editorial column and comic strip newspaper syndication service based in the United States, owned by the E. W. Scripps Company, that operated from 1978 to 2011. It syndicated 150 comics and editorial columns worldwide. ...

.Storch, Charles
"Hearst To Buy Murdoch Syndicate,"
''Chicago Tribune'' (December 25, 1986). Hearst bought the syndicate in 1987 and renamed it North America Syndicate. The pending sale of NAS (which was first reported in October 1986), prompted Newcombe to leave the company in January 1987 and, using financial backing from

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

-based publisher

Robert Maxwell Ian Robert Maxwell (born Ján Ludvík Hyman Binyamin Hoch; 10 June 1923 – 5 November 1991) was a Czechoslovakia, Czechoslovak-born British media proprietor, politician and fraudster. After escaping the German occupation of Czechoslovakia, ...

, form

Creators Syndicate Creators Syndicate (also known as Creators) is an American independent distributor of comic strips and syndicated columns to daily newspapers, websites, and other digital outlets. When founded in 1987, Creators Syndicate became one of the few suc ...

before the close of the NAS sale. Creators Syndicate originated on February 13, 1987. Within a month, Creators acquired the syndication rights to '' B.C.'' and ''

''. North America Syndicate is now part of Hearst's syndication division,

King Features Syndicate King Features Syndicate, Inc. is an American content distribution and animation studio, consumer product License, licensing and print syndication company owned by Hearst Communications that distributes about 150 comic strips, columnist, newspape ...

.King Features Syndicate profile.
via Hearst Corporation

Field Newspaper Syndicate comic strips

''Strips that originated with Chicago Daily Times / Chicago Sun Syndicate / Field Enterprises / Field Newspaper Syndicate / Chicago Sun-Times Syndicate:'' * ''Addled Ads'' by Harry Lutke (1949–1951) * ''Animal Crackers'' mostly by Warren Goodrich (1937–1957) * '' Arnold'' by Kevin McCormick (1982–1984; continued by News America Syndicate and North America Syndicate until 1988) * '' Barnaby'' by

Crockett Johnson Crockett Johnson (October 20, 1906 – July 11, 1975) was the pen name of the American cartoonist and children's book illustrator David Johnson Leisk. He is best known for the comic strip ''Barnaby (comics), Barnaby'' (1942–1952) and the ''Harol ...

(1942–1952) * '' B.C.'' by Johnny Hart (1966-1982; inherited from

, later continued by News America Syndicate, North America Syndicate, and

) * ''Barring None'' by Burck (1941) * ''The Beehive'' by the editors of ''Childlife'' (1957-1961) — Sundays only * ''

'' by Carl Grubert (1942–1974) * '' Betsy and Me'' by Jack Cole (1958)Goulart, Ron
"Jack and Betsy and Me"
. Hogan's Alley (Bull Moose Publishing) (May 18, 2012). Retrieved 2013-12-29. * ''Candy''
at the

Lambiek Comiclopedia Galerie Lambiek is a Dutch comic book store and art gallery in Amsterdam, founded on November 8, 1968 by Kees Kousemaker (, – Bussum, ). His son Boris Kousemaker has been the owner since 2007. From 1968 to 2015, it was located in the Ke ...

by Ed Goggin and Harry Sahle, and later Tom Dorr (1944–1969) * '' Captain Midnight'' by France Herron and Erwin L. Hess (June 29, 1942–late 1940s) * ''The Captain's Gig'' by

Virgil Partch Virgil Franklin Partch (October 17, 1916 – August 10, 1984), who generally signed his work Vip,Virgil F ...

(March 1977–c. 1984) * '' Claire Voyant'' by

Jack Sparling John Edmond Sparling (June 21, 1916 – February 15, 1997), was a Canadian comics artist. Biography Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Sparling moved to the United States as a child. He received his early arts training at the Arts and Crafts Club in New ...

''Betsy and Me''
at

Don Markstein's Toonopedia Don Markstein's Toonopedia (subtitled A Vast Repository of Toonological Knowledge) is an online encyclopedia of print cartoons, comic strips and animation, initiated February 13, 2001. Donald D. Markstein, the sole writer and editor of Toonopedi ...

Archived
from the original on August 27, 2015. (May 10, 1943 – 1948) * '' Conchy'' by James Childress (1974-1976; originally self-syndicated from 1970-1974, then again 1976-1977) * ''Emily and Mabel'' by Emidio "Mike" Angelo (early 1950s) * ''Freddy'' by

Robert Baldwin Robert Baldwin (May 12, 1804 – December 9, 1858) was an Upper Canadian lawyer and politician who with his political partner Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine of Lower Canada, led the first responsible government ministry in the Province of Canada. ...

(c. 1967–1980) — inherited from

* '' From 9 To 5'' by Jo Fischer (1946–1971) * ''Goosemyer'' by Don Wilder and Brant Parker (1981–1983) * ''Granny and Slowpoke'' by Werner Wejp-Olsen (1976–1977) * '' Grin and Bear It'' originally by

George Lichty George Lichty (May 16, 1905 – July 18, 1983) was an American cartoonist, creator of the daily strip, daily and Sunday strip, Sunday cartoon series ''Grin and Bear It''. His work was signed Lichty and often ran without mention of his first name. ...

(1940–1984; picked up from

United Feature Syndicate United Feature Syndicate, Inc. (UFS) is a large American editorial column and comic strip newspaper syndication service based in the United States and established in 1919. Originally part of E. W. Scripps Company, it was part of United Media ( ...

; continued by News America Syndicate and King Features until 2015) * ''Guindon'' by Dick Guindon (1981–c. 1985) — picked up from the Los Angeles Times Syndicate * ''Hit or Miss'' by George Sixta (1948–1954) * '' Invisible Scarlet O'Neil'' by Russell Stamm (1940–1956) — inherited from the '' Chicago Daily Times'' * ''Jack and Judy in Bibleland'' by Robert Acomb and William Fay (1947–1950) — also known as ''Christina Anders'' * '' Latigo'' by Stan Lynde (1979–1983) * '' Marvin'' by Tom Armstrong (1982–1984; continued by News America Syndicate and King Features) * ''McGonigle of the Chronicle'' by Jeff Danziger (August 1, 1983 – November 24, 1985)Holtz, Allan
"Obscurity of the Day: McGonigle of the Chronicle,"
''Stripper's Guide'' (September 3, 2015). * ''Medicare'' by Reamer Keller"Cartoon Laughs in a Medical Vein". ''The Daily Review'' (Hayward, California), January 19, 1966. (1966–1975) * ''Mrs. Lyon's Cubs'' by

Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book author, writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Comics which later bec ...

Joe Maneely Joseph Maneely (; February 18, 1926 – June 7, 1958) was an American comic book artist best known for his work at Marvel Comics' 1950s predecessor, Atlas Comics (1950s), Atlas Comics, where he co-created the Marvel characters the Black Knight (Si ...

, and Al Hartley (1957–1958) * '' Rick O'Shay'' by Stan Lynde (1958–1981) * ''Rivets'' by George Sixta (1953–1985) * ''

'' by

Milton Caniff Milton Arthur Paul Caniff (; February 28, 1907 – April 3, 1988) was an American cartoonist known for the ''Terry and the Pirates'' and ''Steve Canyon'' comic strips. Biography Caniff was born in Hillsboro, Ohio. He was an Eagle Scout and a re ...

(1947–1984; continued by News America Syndicate and King Features until 1988

Field Newspaper Syndicate Opinion Columnists

* Rowland Evans and Robert Novak *

Joseph Kraft Joseph Kraft (September 4, 1924 – January 10, 1986) was an American journalist. Career Kraft began his career in journalism at the age of 14 where he worked as a stringer covering high school sports for the New York World-Telegram. Kraft wo ...

* Carl Rowan * Maxwell Glen and Cody Shearer ("Here and Now") * Eppie Lederer (aka

Ann Landers Ann Landers was a pen name created by ''Chicago Sun-Times'' advice columnist Ruth Crowley in 1943 and taken over by Esther Pauline "Eppie" Lederer in 1955. For 56 years, the ''Ask Ann Landers'' syndicated advice column was a regular featur ...

)

References

{{reflist Comic strip syndicates Defunct companies based in Chicago Mass media companies established in 1941 Hearst Communications Mass media companies disestablished in 1988

History

Field Newspaper Syndicate comic strips

Field Newspaper Syndicate Opinion Columnists

See also

References