PHOENIX – Pat Oliphant, a legendary political cartoonist known for his sharp caricatures of global leaders, passed away on Monday at the age of 90.
His son, Grant Oliphant, shared that Pat died at his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, due to age-related issues.
Oliphant was not just a cartoonist; he was a multifaceted artist who also created stunning sculptures, lithographs, and oil paintings. At the height of his career in the 1980s, his political cartoons were featured in over 500 newspapers across the globe, making him one of the most syndicated editorial cartoonists in the United States.
For more than fifty years, Oliphant used his art to mock powerful figures, from President Lyndon B. Johnson to Donald Trump, with a unique blend of humor and insight. He portrayed Jimmy Carter with exaggerated features that highlighted his rural background and depicted Ronald Reagan as indifferent to the suffering of Americans, famously illustrating him with a cork in his ear.
Those who knew him praised his ability to combine keen observation of the political landscape with a biting sense of humor. Bill Banowsky, director of the documentary A Savage Art: The Life & Cartoons of Pat Oliphant, remarked, “He redefined what it meant to be a political cartoonist and to be fearless in his work.”
Throughout his career, Oliphant tackled controversial subjects that many avoided. He critiqued the Catholic Church during its pedophilia scandals in 2002 and addressed Israel’s military actions in Gaza in 2008. However, his ethnic caricatures sometimes drew criticism for perpetuating stereotypes and racism from organizations such as the Asian American Journalists Association.
Born in Adelaide, Australia, in 1935, Oliphant began his career as a copy desk aide at a local newspaper, where he discovered his passion for art while watching a cartoonist at work. He soon became the in-house cartoonist at The Advertiser in his hometown.
“He decided cartooning could merge his interests in art and commentary,” his son Grant explained. “He wanted to be the best in the world.”
After moving to the U.S. in the early 1960s, Oliphant joined The Denver Post in 1964 and won a Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning just three years later. Interestingly, he felt that the prize committee had chosen one of his weaker works for recognition and criticized the award process thereafter.
Later, he worked for The Washington Star before relocating to Santa Fe in 2002.
Around the age of 80, Oliphant began losing his eyesight due to glaucoma, which forced him to retire from professional cartooning. However, he continued to paint at home in Santa Fe.
“He loved the creative energy of Santa Fe. We often hosted parties at his home with a diverse group of thinkers, musicians, and writers,” shared Hampton Sides, a friend and fellow writer. “He enjoyed the constant exchange of ideas.”
In light of today’s political climate, Grant expressed concerns that society seems to have lost the ability to appreciate humor and engage in healthy debates. “My father challenged the idea of the political establishment being sublimely serious as it is,” he said. “We really need that in today’s America.”
