Thomas F. Darcy
Encyclopedia
Thomas Francis Darcy was an American political cartoonist
. While working at Newsday
, he won the 1970 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning
.
Terry was born in the Brooklyn borough of New York City and served in the U.S. Navy from 1951 to 1953. He attended the Terry Art Institute in Florida from 1953 to 1954 and graduated from the Cartoonists and Illustrators School (now the School of Visual Arts
) in New York in 1956, where he studied under Jack Markow
and Burne Hogarth
. He started at Newsday in 1956 in the advertising department and became a cartoonist for the paper the following year. He left for the Phoenix Gazette
in 1959, but he was too liberal for that newspaper, so the next year he headed back east to become an art director for the advertising agency Lenhart & Altschuler. He returned to editorial cartooning with brief stints at the Houston Post
(1965-1966) and the Philadelphia Bulletin
(1966-1968).
Publisher Bill Moyers
brought Darcy back to Newsday, where he would remain until his retirement 1997. Moyers gave him the "latitude" he needed to work. According to the New York Times, he "was the first in a new wave of editorial cartoonists, who abandoned stylized cartooning and went straight for the jugular." He said that his work was "not for the amusement of the comfortable" and that "If it's big and struts through the door, hit it hard." In the World Encyclopedia of Cartoons, Rick Marschall
compared Darcy to Herblock
and Paul Conrad
, noting his bold lines and his use of "facial expressions and emotions to advantage in depicting his characters."
His Pulitzer submissions primarily concerned the Vietnam War
and inner-city problems. He drew a cartoon featuring an L-shaped coffin over which a general exclaims "Good news, we've turned the corner in Vietnam!" In other cartoons, Darcy featured President Richard Nixon
grabbing the White House
columns as if they were jail bars, captioned "Prisoner of War," and another featuring two robed street prophets about to collide, carrying signs reading "Doomsday Is Coming!" and "The Mideast Is Here!" In addition to the Pulitzer, Darcy also won the Thomas Nast Award from the Overseas Press Club
in 1970 and 1972 and a National Headliner Award
.
In 1977, Darcy left editorial cartooning and created a weekly page of social commentary and reporting called "Tom Darcy on Long Island". He said "After Nixon, Vietnam and civil rights, what's left to attack? I had too much of the sixties and seventies." In 1986, he was one of nine Pulitzer winners and over fifty cartoonists to participate in a collective protest, publishing cartoons against war-oriented toys during the Christmas shopping season.
Editorial cartoon
An editorial cartoon, also known as a political cartoon, is an illustration containing a commentary that usually relates to current events or personalities....
. While working at Newsday
Newsday
Newsday is a daily American newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties and the New York City borough of Queens on Long Island, although it is sold throughout the New York metropolitan area...
, he won the 1970 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning
Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning
The Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning has been awarded since 1922 for a distinguished cartoon or portfolio of cartoons published during the year, characterized by originality, editorial effectiveness, quality of drawing, and pictorial effect...
.
Terry was born in the Brooklyn borough of New York City and served in the U.S. Navy from 1951 to 1953. He attended the Terry Art Institute in Florida from 1953 to 1954 and graduated from the Cartoonists and Illustrators School (now the School of Visual Arts
School of Visual Arts
The School of Visual Arts , is a proprietary art school located in Manhattan, New York City, and is widely considered to be one of the leading art schools in the United States. It was established in 1947 by co-founders Silas H. Rhodes and Burne Hogarth as the Cartoonists and Illustrators School and...
) in New York in 1956, where he studied under Jack Markow
Jack Markow
Jack Markow is an American cartoonist.His work has appeared in Argosy Magazine and Cartoonist Profiles. He received the National Cartoonist Society Gag Cartoon Award for 1979 for his work.Jack Markow wrote the book Drawing and selling Cartoons...
and Burne Hogarth
Burne Hogarth
Burne Hogarth was an American cartoonist, illustrator, educator, author and theoretician, best known for his pioneering work on the Tarzan newspaper comic strip and his series of anatomy books.-Biography:...
. He started at Newsday in 1956 in the advertising department and became a cartoonist for the paper the following year. He left for the Phoenix Gazette
Phoenix Gazette
The Phoenix Gazette was a newspaper published in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. It was founded in 1881, and was known in its early years as the Phoenix Evening Gazette....
in 1959, but he was too liberal for that newspaper, so the next year he headed back east to become an art director for the advertising agency Lenhart & Altschuler. He returned to editorial cartooning with brief stints at the Houston Post
Houston Post
The Houston Post was a newspaper that had its headquarters in Houston, Texas, United States. In 1995, the newspaper was absorbed into the Houston Chronicle.-History:The newspaper was established on February 19, 1880, by Gail Borden Johnson...
(1965-1966) and the Philadelphia Bulletin
Philadelphia Bulletin
For the 2004 resurrection of the Bulletin, see The Bulletin .The Philadelphia Bulletin was a daily evening newspaper published from 1847 to 1982 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was the largest circulation newspaper in Philadelphia for 76 years and was once the largest evening newspaper in the...
(1966-1968).
Publisher Bill Moyers
Bill Moyers
Bill Moyers is an American journalist and public commentator. He served as White House Press Secretary in the United States President Lyndon B. Johnson Administration from 1965 to 1967. He worked as a news commentator on television for ten years. Moyers has had an extensive involvement with public...
brought Darcy back to Newsday, where he would remain until his retirement 1997. Moyers gave him the "latitude" he needed to work. According to the New York Times, he "was the first in a new wave of editorial cartoonists, who abandoned stylized cartooning and went straight for the jugular." He said that his work was "not for the amusement of the comfortable" and that "If it's big and struts through the door, hit it hard." In the World Encyclopedia of Cartoons, Rick Marschall
Rick Marschall
Rick Marschall is a writer/editor and comic strip historian, described by Bostonia magazine as "America's foremost authority on pop culture." Marschall has served as an editor for both Marvel and Disney comics, plus several syndicates.Marschall has written and edited more than 62 books on cultural...
compared Darcy to Herblock
Herblock
Herbert Lawrence Block, commonly known as Herblock , was an American editorial cartoonist and author best known for his commentary on national domestic and foreign policy from a liberal perspective.-Career:...
and Paul Conrad
Paul Conrad
Paul Francis Conrad was an American political cartoonist from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. During college, Conrad started cartooning at the University of Iowa for the Daily Iowan. While serving with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, during World War II, Conrad received a B.A. in art in 1950...
, noting his bold lines and his use of "facial expressions and emotions to advantage in depicting his characters."
His Pulitzer submissions primarily concerned the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
and inner-city problems. He drew a cartoon featuring an L-shaped coffin over which a general exclaims "Good news, we've turned the corner in Vietnam!" In other cartoons, Darcy featured President Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
grabbing the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
columns as if they were jail bars, captioned "Prisoner of War," and another featuring two robed street prophets about to collide, carrying signs reading "Doomsday Is Coming!" and "The Mideast Is Here!" In addition to the Pulitzer, Darcy also won the Thomas Nast Award from the Overseas Press Club
Overseas Press Club
The Overseas Press Club of America was founded in 1939 in New York City by a group of foreign correspondents. The wire service reporter Carol Weld was a founding member...
in 1970 and 1972 and a National Headliner Award
National Headliner Awards
The National Headliner Awards are a prize given out by Press Club of Atlantic City since 1935. Both broadcast journalism and print journalism are recognized, in separate categories.-External links:*...
.
In 1977, Darcy left editorial cartooning and created a weekly page of social commentary and reporting called "Tom Darcy on Long Island". He said "After Nixon, Vietnam and civil rights, what's left to attack? I had too much of the sixties and seventies." In 1986, he was one of nine Pulitzer winners and over fifty cartoonists to participate in a collective protest, publishing cartoons against war-oriented toys during the Christmas shopping season.