Bruce Shanks

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Bruce McKinley Shanks (1908-1980) was the Buffalo Evening News editorial cartoonist, and won the 1958 Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning with his cartoon "The Thinker," published on August 10, 1957. It depicted the dilemma of union membership when confronted by corrupt leaders in some labor unions.

Shanks was born in Buffalo and was the son of George Shanks, who owned a local sign painting business. From 1924-1927, he attended Lafayette High School, where he was taught by art instructor Elizabeth Weiffenbach, who later (1936-1939) also influenced the style of science-fiction cover artist Kelly Freas. Shanks began his employment with the Buffalo Evening News as a copy boy. His first cartoons appeared in the sports pages.

One character created by Shanks was Olaf Fub, which derives from Buffalo spelled backwards. A drawing of Fub and the phrase, "Olaf Fub sez..." introduced writers' commentary on local events even well after Shanks' death.

Another character appearing frequently in Shanks' editorial cartoons was John Q. Public. It is unclear if Shanks created this name, which is now a common placeholder name in the United States. Shanks' cartoons were widely distributed by syndicators throughout the United States and the world at the height of his career, and it is possible that his use contributed to widespread use, even if he did not invent the name.

In addition to the Pulitzer, Shanks won eight Freedom Foundation awards and several Page One Awards from the American Newspaper Guild.