Nast

Thomas, an American caricaturist. He was born in Landau, Bavaria, September 27, 1840, and came with his mother to this country in 1846. While employed as a doorkeeper in Bryant's Art Gallery on Broadway, New York, he fell to copying the paintings. He also secured instruction in drawing. He showed decided talent and was employed as a draughtsman for Leslie's Weekly. In 1862 he was employed by Harper's Weekly to draw cartoons for that paper, and became the most famous political caricaturist of the day. During the Civil War, President Lincoln called him "Our best recruiting sergeant," and General Grant pronounced him "The most prominent figure in civil life to come out of the War of the Rebellion." His next great service was the destruction of the notorious Tweed Ring in New York City. Theodore Roosevelt is credited with saying, "I learned my politics from your cartoons." Nast had a fertile mind. He originated such symbols as the tiger for Tammany Hall, the elephant for the Republican party, and the donkey for the Democratic party. We may add that in the service of party, Nast lampooned good causes just as industriously as he did evil ones. A clear instance of this was the persecution of Horace Greeley, whom many believe he sent to an early grave. In 1902 he was appointed United States consul at Guayaquil (gwi'a-kel), Ecuador, where he died of yellow fever in December of the same year. See Caricature; Punch