The great athletic meet

In the first cartoon, William H. Taft with a large “R” on his shirt charges ahead of Vice President Charles W. Fairbanks, Speaker of the House Joseph Gurney Cannon, and New York Governor Charles Evans Hughes. Taft says, “They can’t catch me.” In the second cartoon, William Jennings Bryan with a large “D” on his shirt charges ahead of Minnesota Governor John Albert Johnson and George Gray. Bryan says, “What an easy snap.” Caption: Winners of the trial heats.

comments and context

Comments and Context

With two weeks to go until the Republican National Convention in Chicago, and another three weeks after that before the Democrats would gather in Denver to nominate their presidential candidate, cartoonist John Colman Terry dismissed the somewhat hyperbolic suspense that fellow artists invested in commentary about the nominations. Barring genuine surprises, two Williams — Taft and Bryan — would be their parties’ nominees.

Terry instead focused on the position of the front-runners, and their satisfied and confident expressions, as each party’s “also-rans” labor in the rear of the tracks.

Terry never achieved great fame as a cartoonist. In the early 1930s he created the aviation comic strip Scorchy Smith for the Associated Press; and it was notable not for his work but that of several successors. Terry’s brother, however, became a major name in cartoon history. Paul Terry was a major name in animated cartoons, at first in silent Terrytoons and the character farmer Al Falfa; and in the 1950s, television cartoons like Tom Terrific, Mighty Mouse, and Heckle and Jeckle.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1908-06-01

Creator(s)

Terry, John Colman, 1880-1934

Language

English

Period

U.S. President – 2nd Term (March 1905-February 1909)

Page Count

1

Production Method

Printed

Record Type

Image

Resource Type

Cartoon

Rights

These images are presented through a cooperative effort between the Library of Congress and Dickinson State University. No known restrictions on publication.

Citation