Thomas Nast was born in Landau,
Germany, on September 27, 1840. His family moved to New York City around
the time he was 6. Nast did poorly in school, preferring drawing to
schoolwork, and eventually dropped out. In 1855 he landed his first
illustration job, and several years later joined the staff of Harper's Weekly.
While there, Nast quickly made a name for himself as a political
cartoonist, focusing on such topics as the Civil War, slavery and
corruption. Nast would also become known for the modern representation
of Santa Claus as a jolly, rotund man living at the North Pole. In 1886,
Nast left Harper's Weekly and fell on hard times. In 1902, he
was appointed general counsel to Ecuador. While in that country, he
contracted yellow fever and died on December 7, 1902.
<span>Early Life Born
on September 27, 1840, in Landau, Germany, cartoonist Thomas Nast was
best known for his powerful sketches of the Civil War and his
influential political images. Around the age of 6, Nast moved to the
United States with his mother and sister, and they settled in New York
City. His father joined the family several years later. From an
early age, Nast showed an interest in drawing. He preferred doodling
over doing his homework and proved to be a poor student, eventually
dropping out of regular school around the age of 13. He then studied for
a time at the National Academy of Art, but when his family could no
longer afford his tuition, Nast went to work, landing a job in 1855
doing illustrations for Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper.</span>
<span>Influential Political CartoonistIn 1862, Nast joined the staff of Harper's Weekly
as an artist. He worked for the publication for roughly 25 years. Early
in his career there, Nast earned acclaim for his depictions of the
Civil War. President Abraham Lincoln once described him as the "best
recruiting sergeant" for the Union cause because his sketches encouraged
others to join the fight. By the 1870s, Nast primarily focused
his efforts on political cartoons. He led a crusade against corruption,
using his images to help remove William Magear "Boss" Tweed and his
peers from power. Tweed ran the Democratic Party in New York. In
September 1871, Nast depicted Tweed, New York Mayor A. Oakey Hall and
several others as a group of vultures surrounding a corpse labeled "New
York." The cartoon supposedly upset Tweed so much that he offered Nast a
bribe of $500,000 (100 times Nast's annual salary at the time) to leave
town. Nast refused and continued to draw attention to Tweed's misdeeds.
Eventually, it was Tweed who fled the country, to avoid prosecution. During his time at Harper's Weekly,
Nast also created the still-popular images of the Democratic Party
represented by a donkey and the Republican Party by an elephant. Nast is
further believed to be responsible for the modern representation of
Santa Claus as a jolly, rotund man in a red suit, and to be the first to
have suggested that Santa could be found at the North Pole and that
kids could send him their wish lists there.</span><span>Final YearsAfter parting ways with Harper's Weekly
in 1886, Nast soon fell on hard times. His illustration work began to
dry up and his investments failed, ultimately leaving him and his family
nearly destitute. In 1902, Nast received help from his longtime friend
Theodore Roosevelt, who appointed him the position of U.S. counsel
general for Ecuador. Nast hoped that this new position would allow him
earn enough to pay off some debts and help his family. Unfortunately,
when Nast arrived in Ecuador that July, the country was in the midst of
a yellow fever outbreak. Nast contracted the disease in December and
succumbed to the illness soon after, on December 7, 1902. Despite his
tragic end, he is still remembered as one of the most successful
political cartoonists of all time.</span>
