Clifford K. Berryman - Editorial Cartoons

Editorial Cartoons

Berryman's father, James, often entertained friends and neighbors with drawings of "hillbillies" from their hometown. Clifford inherited his father's knack for drawing and was appointed draftsman to the United States Patent Office in Washington, D.C. from 1886-1891. During his tenure, Berryman submitted sketches to The Washington Post, and in 1891, he became an understudy of the Post's political cartoonist, George Y. Coffin. After Coffin died in 1896, Berryman took the Post cartoonist position until 1907, at which time he was hired by the Washington Star. He continued to draw political cartoons for the Star until his death in 1949.

During his career, Berryman drew thousands of cartoons commenting on American Presidents and politics. Presidential figures included former Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman. The cartoons satirized both Democrats and Republicans and covered topics such as drought, farm relief and food prices; representation of the District of Columbia in Congress; labor strikes and legislation; campaigning and elections; political patronage; European coronations; the America's Cup; and the atomic bomb.

Berryman was a prominent figure in Washington, D.C., and President Harry S. Truman once told him, "You are ageless and timeless. Presidents, senators and even Supreme Court justices come and go, but the Monument and Berryman stand." Berryman's cartoons can be found at the Library of Congress, National Archives and George Washington University, as well as archives that house presidential collections.