Local Boy Makes Great (Cartoonist George Booth)

George grew up on a farm in Fairfax, on the north end of town, but his extraordinary artistic talent led him east, where he made a name for himself in New York as a famous cartoonist.

 

The Atchison County Mail reports the death of famous favorite son George Booth.

George Booth, who made a name for himself in the Big Apple by drawing cartoons for The New Yorker, passed away at the age of 96 at his home in Brooklyn, New York.

George grew up in Fairfax, Missouri, with his father, Billy (a teacher and school administrator), his mother, Irma (Swindle) Booth, and two brothers, Gaylord and James Booth. George graduated from Fairfax High School in 1944. He enlisted in the Marines following high school and later studied art in college.

According to The New York Times, “In a half century at The New Yorker, Mr. Booth drew roughly a score of covers and hundreds of zany cartoons for the inside pages. He became one of the most popular stars of a magazine whose readers relished sophisticated cartoon wit.

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