Edson, Gus, 1901-1966

Gus Edson (1901-1966) was an American cartoonist and writer who created the comic strip Dondi .

Edson was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on September 20, 1901 to Max and Emma Edson. At age 17, Edson joined the army and served in Australia in 1918. After briefly studying at the Pratt Institute and also at the Art Students League of New York, Edson embarked on a career with a string of newspapers in a variety of capacities.

Edson worked as a sports cartoonist for New York Evening Graphic from 1925 to 1928. He then spent a year with the Paul Block Chain of Newspapers followed by a year at the New York Evening Post . Edson also pursued freelance work and served as a standby ghost for the King Features Syndicate. Edson eventually ended up at the New York Daily News once again as a sports cartoonist from 1931 to 1935. While at the Daily News, Edson created his first daily strip Streaky in 1933 which he wrote until 1935.

In 1935, Joseph M. Patterson, president of the Chicago Tribune-New York News Syndicate selected Edson to take over The Gumps following creator Sidney Smith’s sudden death. But Edson’s style did not meet the expectations of Smith's loyal readers and the strip was eventually cancelled in 1959.

By this time Edson was also regularly working on his most well known feature, Dondi, about a WWII orphan, which he created with Irwin Hasen in 1955. Hasen drew the strip while Edson wrote the storylines. The strip’s popularity with the public prompted Edson to write the film Dondi which was released in 1961 by Allied Artists. Edson planned and wrote a proposed sequel, The Carnival Kid .

Edson volunteered his time and skills for several causes and fundraising campaigns. In the fall of 1952 Edson was one of several cartoonists with the National Cartoonists Society who participated in a European USO Tour. Edson also worked for several savings bond drives. The Treasury Department routinely recognized these efforts and he received a Distinguished Service Award in 1954. Edson held membership in several organizations including the Society of Illustrators, the National Cartoonists Society and the Writer’s Guild of America.

Gus Edson died of heart failure September 27, 1966 in Stamford, Connecticut.  

From the guide to the Gus Edson Papers., 1938-1966., 1949-1966., (Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries)