Kuekes, Edward Daniel (1901 – 1987)

Kuekes, Edward Daniel (1901 – 1987)

Edward D. Kuekes original cartoon artwork.

Kuekes, known to his associates and readers as "Ed." studied art at Cleveland School of Art and the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts. Early influences on his work were Gaar Williams, Ding Darling, and Billy Ireland. His career at the Cleveland, Ohio Plain Dealer began in 1922 as understudy to editorial cartoonist Hal Donahey. Kuekes handled general art chores for the Plain Dealer, such as illustrating news events. For much of the 1940s, his trademark was a rabbit named "The Kernel", which came from his work as an amateur stage magician. Following Donahey's death in 1949, Kuekes became chief editorial cartoonist of the Plain Dealer. He won the Pulitzer Prize for a Korean War cartoon called "Aftermath". In the cartoon, two soldiers carry a third on a stretcher. One asks "Wonder if he voted?" while the other replies "No, he wasn't old enough."