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Thomas Nast - German-born Father of American Caricature - A Biography Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of His Death 
Thomas Nast is considered the father of American caricature and was dubbed "president maker" because of his enormous influence on American politics of his time. Nast has handed down through his 19th-century works various enduring American symbols - the Democratic Party's donkey, the Republican Party's elephant, Tammany Hall's tiger (the Tweed Ring), Uncle Sam, and Columbia as the symbol of the United States. Particularly influential in American culture was Nast's portrayal of Santa Claus as the jolly, rotund, red-nosed character so familiar today. Thomas Nast was born on Sept. 27, 1840, in the Rote Kaserne or Red Barracks in the city of Landau in Palatinate, Germany. He was the son of a military musician in the Bavarian army. At the age of 6, Nast emigrated with his family to America, where he grew up in New York. With an inadequate knowledge of English, Nast did poorly in school, so he soon turned to drawing as a form of expression. At the age of 12, he began receiving instruction in drawing from the German historical painter Theodor Kaufmann and went on to study at the National Academy of Design in New York City. In 1855, at the age of 15, he received his first assignment as illustrator for the Illustrated Weekly Newspaper. From 1857 to 1862, he simultaneously worked for other newspapers as well. 
In 1862, he joined the editorial staff at Harper's Weekly. His depictions of the front during the Civil War helped maintain morale among the Union troops and prompted President Abraham Lincoln to declare, "Thomas Nast is our best recruiting sergeant!" His cartoon, "Peace, Compromise with the South," was reproduced thousands of times and helped get Lincoln re-elected. He made ample use of the power of his pen in later presidential elections as well. Initially, Nast supported Republican candidates exclusively, but switched sides in 1884 ("Mugwump revolt"), throwing his support behind the Democratic candidate Grover Cleveland, who was indeed elected president. Afterwards, Nast became known as the "president maker." Some of the main themes depicted in his political cartoons are maintaining the federation, the battle against inflation, the fight against racism, and corruption in politics. It was to Nast's credit that the "Tweed Ring" surrounding the corrupt New York City politician William Marcy "The Boss" Tweed, against whom Nast had long waged a campaign in his cartoons, was finally exposed in 1871. From 1886 onward, he earned his living as a freelance cartoonist and started his own journal, Nast's Weekly. It failed, however, and he was left with heavy debts. 
In 1902, Thomas Nast was appointed American consul general in Ecuador by his old friend Theodore Roosevelt, in recognition of his achievements. But in the same year, Nast fell ill with yellow fever and died at the age of 62. Landau Remembers its Great Son At the Rote Kaserne in Landau , the house where Thomas Nast was born, a plaque, donated to the city by the United States Information Service on Aug. 18, 1956, recalls the life of the artist. The inscription reads: "To the German people from America's citizens in the spirit of common democratic principles and in memory of Thomas Nast." The city of Landau, about 80 miles southwest of Frankfurt am Main, named a school and a street after Thomas Nast. In addition, a Thomas Nast Foundation was founded which regularly honors both an American and a German cartoonist with the Thomas Nast Award. At the time of Nast's birth, Landau was part of the Bavarian Palatinate; it has belonged to the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate since the end of World War II. Landau has over 40,000 residents and is currently the largest wine-making community in Germany. Events Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Death of Thomas Nast On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the death of Thomas Nast on December 7, events commemorating his legacy are taking place both in Landau and in the United States. The Macculloch Hall Historical Museum (www.machall.org) in Morristown, New Jersey, where Nast spent 30 years of his life, is dedicated to his life and work and has a permanent collection on display. His home in Morristown has also been designated a registered historic landmark. Approximately 60 Nast works are part of the United States Senate Art Collection. In Landau, starting December 5, a cartoon exhibit with works by Thomas Nast as well as by winners of the Thomas Nast Award will be on display at the local Sparkasse (Ostbahnstraße 10). And on December 8, the Thomas Nast Award presentation will take place at 11 a.m. in the Kleiner Saal der Festhalle (Mahlastraße 3). Links
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