John T. McCutcheon was born May 6, 1870, on a farm near South Raub, Tippecanoe county, Indiana. His parents were Captain John Barr McCutcheon, a Civil War veteran who later became the Sheriff of Tippecanoe county, and Clara Glick McCutcheon. He graduated from Purdue University with a B.S. degree in 1889, where he is credited with being one of the founding chapter members of the first Purdue fraternity, Sigma Chi.
His first job was with the Chicago Morning News (later renamed the Chicago Record, and later-still the Chicago Record-Herald). He began doing front page cartoons in 1895, and joined the Chicago Tribune in 1903. He continued there until he retired in 1946, doing front page cartoons and the occasional article, although he is best known for his political cartoon work which began with the Presidential campaign of 1896.
He married Evelyn Shaw of Chicago on January 20, 1917. A prolific traveler, he often sent back newspaper reports of his trips, including the Boer War in 1899, the Paris Peace Conference in 1918-1919, and his trip around the world in 1925. Often called the "Dean of American Cartoonists", McCutcheon died June 10, 1949 in Lake Forest, Illinois.
Superman Bill Reed Save the day Dec 14, 1941.
To Bill Reed with the grateful appreciation of
John T. McCutcheon
10"X 19" Personal cartoon while vacation in AZ.