Herblock

Herbert L. Block (1909-2001), known to the world as Herblock, was one of the most influential political commentators and editorial cartoonists in American history. His long chronicle of major social and political events began to appear in newspapers in 1929, and he continued to document domestic and international events for 72 years.

Herblock began drawing cartoons for daily newspapers in his native Chicago in 1929, just six months before the stock market crash plunged the world into the Great Depression. During his first decade as a cartoonist, the themes of economic catastrophe and war dominated his work.

The 1960s dawned auspiciously with the election of John F. Kennedy, the youngest elected President in the nation's history. Hopes for enacting his progressive New Frontier initiatives faded, however, after his assassination in 1963. Years of extraordinary social, cultural and political unrest unfolded as the nation also experienced the assassinations of Kennedy's brother Robert and civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., the civil rights movement, racial riots, confrontations with communist powers, the Vietnam War, and increased polarization between citizens.

Through his clearly articulated cartoons, Herblock brought balance and well informed opinion into the arena of public debate during this turbulent decade. With insight and even humor, when possible, he illuminated facets of the African American struggle for equal rights, domestic vs. military spending, extremism, space race, and the horrific possibility of nuclear annihilation. - Library of Congress