Cartoonist Paul Conrad: Iowa Time Machine September 4, 2010

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On September 4, 2010, three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist and Iowan Paul Conrad passed away. An Iowan by birth, the world-famous cartoonist found his calling while creating cartoons for the “Daily Iowan” at the University of Iowa.

Born in Cedar Rapids, Conrad grew up in Linn County until his family moved to Des Moines. While at St. Augustin Elementary School, teachers forced young Paul to switch from writing (and drawing) left-handed. Conrad stuttered throughout much of his childhood but found solace in the cartoons of far-famed Iowa cartoonist J.N. “Ding” Darling while attending Roosevelt High School.

After graduating, Conrad found himself driving military trucks in Okinawa at the onset of World War II. Although he intended to attend Iowa State after his discharge, Conrad instead played bass in a big band before enrolling at the University of Iowa in 1946. While at Iowa, Conrad found his niche creating cartoons for the “Daily Iowan.”

One of his professors passed his work along to a friend at the “Denver Post,” and Conrad soon found himself headed west. Over a long and successful career working for the “Denver Post” and “Los Angeles Times,” Conrad’s work garnered Pulitzer Prizes in 1964, 1971, and 1984. #Iowa #OTD #History #Cartoon #Pulitzer