Lawrence, J. Vinton (1939 – 2016)

Vint Lawrence original cartoon artwork

Vint Lawrence  was an artist and former U.S. CIA paramilitary officer. Under the name of James Vinton, he was stationed in Laos from 1962 to 1966 and had a close relationship with the Hmong leader Vang Pao in the U.S. war in Southeast Asia. Lawrence's CIA colleague in Laos was the CIA paramilitary expert Anthony Poshepny (aka "Tony Poe"). After returning to the United States in 1964, he abandoned a blooming career in government to become a caricaturist and illustrator. He caricatured everyone from Donald Trump to Leo Tolstoy, depicting them with a potent mix of both humour and honesty. He did regular caricatures for The New Republic and The Washington Post. Lawrence was the great-grandson of Charles A. Coffin, cofounder and first president of General Electric corporation.