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Bruce McKinley Shanks (January 29, 1908 – April 12, 1980)[1] was an American editorial cartoonist who worked for theBuffalo Evening News during the middle of the 20th century. There he won the annualPulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning for "The Thinker" (August 10, 1957), which showed "the dilemma of union membership when confronted by corrupt leaders in some labor unions".[2][3]
Shanks was born inBuffalo, New York, the son of George Shanks, who owned a local sign painting business. From 1924 to 1927, he attendedLafayette High School, where he was taught by art instructor Elizabeth Weiffenbach, who later (1936-1939) also influenced the style of science-fiction cover artistKelly Freas. Shanks began his employment with theBuffalo Evening News as a copy boy. His first cartoons appeared in the sports pages.
One character created by Shanks was Olaf Fub, a name derived from "Buffalo" spelled backward. A drawing of Fub and the phrase, "Olaf Fub sez ..." continued to introduce the commentary ofEvening News writers on local events even well after Shanks' death.
Another character who appeared frequently in Shanks' editorial cartoons wasJohn Q. Public. That name was created byVaughn Shoemaker, another editorial cartoonist, and is now aplaceholder name in the United States. Shanks' cartoons were widely distributed by syndicators throughout the U.S. and the world at the height of his career, so he may have contributed to the establishment of the placeholder.
Beside the Pulitzer, Shanks won eightFreedoms Foundation awards[3] and several Page One Awards from theAmerican Newspaper Guild.
During World War II, Shanks served in the U.S. Army from 1942 to 1945.[4] He died inPalm Beach, Florida in 1980.[1]
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