HUNTER Samuel

HUNTER Samuel

“In his prime Mr. Hunter was considered one of the outstanding cartoonists in Canada.”                                                                                                                            Toronto Evening Telegram, 8 Dec.1939 “Obituary”.

He was born at Millbrook Ontario, March 3, 1858.

As a young man he travelled west and produced a series of prints on Indian and western life.

In the late 1870’s he produced editorial cartoons for Bengough’s Grip. William Colgate described him as the most capable of the artists around Bengough.

He moved to the Toronto World News in 1897 where he stayed for almost 20 years. His daily cartoons were particularly critical of the Laurier government. During World War 1 he moved to the Globe where his cartoons focused on the Conscription Crisis and continued to be critical of Laurier and also of Quebec. He created a character called “Old Man Ontario”.

After the war he joined the Toronto Daily Star. Whimsical and gentle he was Atkinson’s [owner of the Toronto Daily Star] favourite because as Atkinson said: “there is no venom in his work.” [D5] Although he left the Star after 18 months he continued to contribute to it for another 35 years.

He died at home 156 Springhurst Avenue in Toronto, December 8, 1939.

SOURCE:

Article book:

.Encyclopedia Canadiana, v. 2. The Canadiana Co. Ltd., 1965 edition: “Cartoons.” Writ., William Colgate: 269.

The Hecklers. Writ. & Ed.., Peter Desbarates & Terry Mosher. McClelland and Stewart Ltd., 1979: 239.

Article periodical:

Maclean’s Magazine, Mar. 1914: “The Cartoonmen of Canada.” Writ., John Edgecumbe Staley: 44.

Article newspaper:

Toronto Evening Telegram, 8 Dec.1939 “Obituary”.

Toronto Star, 11 Jan.1992: “Merchants of Mirth and Malice.” Writ., Robert Crew: D5.