Clifford Kennedy Berryman (April 2, 1869 – December 11, 1949) was a

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...

–winning cartoonist with ''

The Washington Star ''The Washington Star'', previously known as the ''Washington Star-News'' and the ''Washington'' ''Evening Star'', was a daily afternoon newspaper published in Washington, D.C., between 1852 and 1981. The Sunday edition was known as the ''Sunday ...

'' newspaper from 1907 to 1949. He was previously a cartoonist for ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' from 1891 to 1907. During his career, Berryman drew thousands of cartoons commenting on American presidents and politics. Political figures he lampooned included former Presidents

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

, and

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt that year. Subsequen ...

. He is particularly known for his cartoons "Remember the Maine" and "Drawing the Line in Mississippi." Berryman was a prominent figure in Washington, D.C. President

once told him, "You are ageless and timeless. Presidents, senators and even Supreme Court justices come and go, but the

Monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, historical ...

and Berryman stand." Berryman's cartoons can be found at the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

, the

National Archives National archives are the archives of a country. The concept evolved in various nations at the dawn of modernity based on the impact of nationalism upon bureaucratic processes of paperwork retention. Conceptual development From the Middle Ages i ...

, and

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...

, as well as archives that house presidential collections.

Biography

Early life

Berryman was born on April 2, 1869, in Clifton, Kentucky, to James Thomas Berryman and Sallie Church Berryman. Berryman's father often entertained friends and neighbors with drawings of "hillbillies" from their hometown; Clifford inherited his father's knack for drawing.

Editorial cartoons

Berryman was appointed draftsman to the

United States Patent Office The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is an agency in the U.S. Department of Commerce that serves as the national patent office and trademark registration authority for the United States. The USPTO's headquarters are in Ale ...

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, serving there from 1886 to 1891. During his tenure, Berryman submitted sketches to ''The Washington Post''. In 1891, he became an understudy of political cartoonist George Y. Coffin at ''The Washington Post''. After Coffin died in 1896, Berryman took over the position as cartoonist for the newspaper. As a political cartoonist, Berryman satirized both Democrats and Republicans, and covered topics such as drought, farm relief,

food prices Food prices refer to the average price level for food across countries, regions and on a global scale. Food prices affect producers and consumers of food. Price levels depend on the food production process, including food marketing and food di ...

, representation of Washington, D.C., in

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

, labor strikes and legislation, campaigning and elections, political patronage, European coronations, the America's Cup, and the atomic bomb. In 1898, during the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

, ''The Post'' printed Berryman's classic illustration " Remember the Maine," which became the battle-cry for American sailors during the War. His November 16, 1902, cartoon, "Drawing the Line in Mississippi," depicted President Theodore Roosevelt showing compassion for a small bear cub. The cartoon inspired New York store owner

Morris Michtom Morris Michtom (September 12, 1869 – July 21, 1938) was a Russian-born businessman and inventor who, with his wife Rose, also a Russian Jewish immigrant who lived in Brooklyn, founded the Ideal Novelty and Toy Company. Michtom came up with ...

to create a new toy and call it the

teddy bear A teddy bear, or simply a teddy, is a stuffed toy in the form of a bear. The teddy bear was named by Morris Michtom after the 26th president of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt; it was developed apparently simultaneously in the first deca ...

. Berryman worked at ''The Washington Post'' until 1907, when he was hired by ''The Washington Star''. Berryman was the first cartoonist member of the

Gridiron Club The Gridiron Club is the oldest and most selective journalistic organization in Washington, D.C. History :"an elitist social club of sixty print journalists" — Hedrick Smith, ''Power Game: How Washington Works'' February 1988 Random House ...

and served as the organization's president in 1926. He drew political cartoons for ''The Washington Star'' until his death in 1949. As a Washingtonian, he was an advocate for DC voting rights.

Personal life

Berryman married Kate Geddes Durfee on July 5, 1893, and they had three children: Mary Belle, who died as an infant, Florence Seville, who later became an art critic, and James Thomas, who became a

–winning cartoonist. Berryman was a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

and an active member of the Washington Heights Presbyterian Church.

Awards

In 1944, Berryman was awarded the

Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning Pulitzer may refer to: *Joseph Pulitzer, a 19th century media magnate *Pulitzer Prize, an annual U.S. journalism, literary, and music award *Pulitzer (surname) *Pulitzer, Inc., a U.S. newspaper chain *Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, a non-prof ...

for his drawing "But Where is the Boat Going." The cartoon depicted President Franklin D. Roosevelt and other government officials trying to steer the ''USS Mississippi'' in several different directions.

Clifford K. and James T. Berryman Award for Editorial Cartooning

Since 1989, the National Press Foundation has presented the Clifford K. and James T. Berryman Award annually for editorial cartooning. Winners have included Chip Bok (1993), Jim Morin (1996), Kevin Kallaugher (2002), Rex Babin (2003), Steve Sack (2006), Matt Wuerker (2010), Nick Anderson (2011), Adam Zyglis (2013), and Clay Bennett (2014).

Death

Berryman died on December 11, 1949, from a heart ailment, age 80, and is interred in Glenwood Cemetery in Washington, D.C.

Gallery

File:Theodore Roosevelt signed 1904 photo to CK Berryman.jpg, A signed 1904 photo President

sent to Berryman File:William Jennings Bryan reading news from war fronts 1914.jpg,

William Jennings Bryan William Jennings Bryan (March 19, 1860 – July 26, 1925) was an American lawyer, orator, and politician. He was a dominant force in the History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, running three times as the party' ...

reading news from fronts during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

in 1914 File:Berryman political cartoon on income tax vs sales tax (3 June 1933).jpg, A comedic representation of the debate about the

income tax in the United States The United States federal government and most State governments in the United States, state governments impose an income tax. They are determined by applying a tax rate, which Progressive tax, may increase as income increases, to taxable incom ...

File:The Post-Season Parade.JPG, After being defeated, "lame duck" Democrats head to the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

in hopes of securing political appointments from President

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was the 28th president of the United States, serving from 1913 to 1921. He was the only History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democrat to serve as president during the Prog ...

File:Hitler and Stalin. Wonder how long the honeymoon will last?.jpg, "Wonder how long the

honeymoon A honeymoon is a vacation taken by newlyweds after their wedding to celebrate their marriage. Today, honeymoons are often celebrated in destinations considered exotic or romantic. In a similar context, it may also refer to the phase in a couple ...

will last?" from ''

'' in 1939 File:Clifford Berryman grave - Glenwood Cemetery - 2014-09-19.jpg, Berryman's gravesite at Glenwood Cemetery in Washington, D.C.

References

External links

Smithsonian Archives of American Art: Berryman Family PapersClifford K. Berryman Digital Collection at the Estelle and Melvin Gelman LibraryBilly Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum Art DatabaseClifford K. Berryman Political Cartoon Collection
in the National Archives
Clifford Berryman Cartoon Collection
at the Washington DC Public Library {{DEFAULTSORT:Berryman, Clifford K. 1869 births 1949 deaths American editorial cartoonists American Presbyterians Artists from Kentucky Burials at Glenwood Cemetery (Washington, D.C.) People from Boyle County, Kentucky Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning winners The Washington Post people The Washington Star people