Tad Dorgan
| Thomas Aloysius Dorgan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
April 29, 1877 San Francisco, California |
| Died |
May 2, 1929 (aged 52) Great Neck, New York |
| Other names | Tad Dorgan |
| Occupation | Journalist, Cartoonist, Sportswriter |
| Notable credit(s) | San Francisco Bulletin, San Francisco Chronicle, New York Journal |
| Spouse(s) | Izola M. Dorgan |
| Family |
Thomas J. Dorgan Mother |
Thomas Aloysius Dorgan (April 29, 1877 – May 2, 1929), also known as Tad Dorgan, was an American cartoonist who signed his drawings as Tad. He is known for his cartoon panel Indoor Sports and the many words and expressions he added to the language.[1]
Early life
Dorgan was born in San Francisco on April 29, 1877.[2] He was one of at least 11 children[3]—six sons and five daughters – of Thomas J. and Anna Dorgan.[4] His brother John L. "Ike" Dorgan (born April 1879) was publicity manager for the Madison Square Garden, and his brother Richard W. "Dick" Dorgan (born September 1892) was an illustrator and cartoonist.
Polytechnic High School teachers Rosey Murdoch and Maria Van Vieck recognized and encouraged Tad's talent as an artist. When he was 13 years old, he lost the last three fingers of his right hand in an accident with a factory machine. He took up drawing for therapy. A year later at the age of 14 he joined the art staff of the San Francisco Bulletin.
Strips and panels
He created his first comic strip, Johnny Wise, for the San Francisco Chronicle in 1902. By 1905 he was working in New York City at the New York Journal as a sports writer and cartoonist.[1] Jack Dempsey described him as "the greatest authority on boxing."
In addition to his work as a sports journalist, Dorgan did a humor feature, "Daffydills". His dog cartoons, including Judge Rummy, evolved into the strip Silk Hat Harry's Divorce Suit. This was accompanied by a one-panel gag series called Indoor Sports which became his main feature, along with an occasional Outdoor Sports.
Slang
Dorgan is generally credited with either creating or popularizing such words and expressions as "dumbbell" (a stupid person); "for crying out loud" (an exclamation of astonishment); "cat's meow" and "cat's pajamas" (as superlatives); "applesauce" (nonsense); "cheaters" (eyeglasses); "skimmer" (a hat); "hard-boiled" (tough and unsentimental); "drugstore cowboy" (loafers or ladies' men); "nickel-nurser" (a miser); "as busy as a one-armed paperhanger" (overworked); and "Yes, we have no bananas," which was turned into a popular song.
In the New York Times obituary, he was bracketed with George Ade and Ring Lardner as a popularizer of "a new slang vernacular." His obituary also credited him as the originator of "Twenty-three, Skidoo," "solid ivory," "Dumb Dora," "finale hopper," "Benny" for hat, and "dogs'" for shoes.[1] W. J. Funk, of the Funk and Wagnall's dictionary company, placed Dorgan at the top of the list of the ten "most fecund makers of American slang."[5]
Dorgan was erroneously credited with coining the usage of the phrase "hot dog" in reference to sausage (see "Hot dog: Etymology").[6][7]
Life in Great Neck
Tad Dorgan and his wife, Izole M., lived in a Great Neck, New York house valued at $75,000. They had no children, but they raised two Chinese children to adulthood. Dorgan retired from attending sporting events in the early 1920s because of poor health, and a heart ailment kept him at home for the last eight years of his life, but he continued to produce sports comics for Hearst until his death. He died in Great Neck of heart disease, hastened by pneumonia.[1] Hearst newspapers announced his passing in front-page headlines and some of his cartoons were reprinted for a short time. Izole Dorgan, a writer before she married, was the vice-president of the National Doll and Toy Collectors Club. After Tad's death, she started a successful business manufacturing doll furniture.[8]
Books
Dorgan's first book collection was Daffydills, published by Cupples & Leon in 1911. This was followed by several Indoor Sports collections.
Awards
Tad Dorgan was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2007 in the category of "Observer"; that is, print and media journalists, publishers, writers, historians, photographers, and artists.[9]
Sources
- McCrory, Amy. "Sport Cartoons in Context: TAD Dorgan and Multi-Genre Cartooning in Early Twentieth-Century Newspapers," American Periodicals: A Journal of History, Criticism, and Bibliography – Volume 18, Number 1, pp. 45–68. The Ohio State University Press, 2008.
- Zwilling, Leonard. A TAD Lexicon. Etymology and Linguistic Principles: V.3, Rolla MO: G. Cohen, 1993.
References
- 1 2 3 4 "'Tad,' Cartoonist, Dies In His Sleep.". The New York Times. May 3, 1929.
Thomas A. Dorgan, Famous For His 'Indoor Sports,' Victim of Heart Disease. Was A Shut-In For Years. Worked Cheerfully at Home in Great Neck on Drawings That Amused Countless Thousands. His slangy breeziness won immediate circulation. It was he who first said 'Twenty-three, Skidoo,' and 'Yes, we have no bananas,' 'apple sauce' and 'solid ivory.' Other expressions that are now part of the American vernacular include 'cake-eater,' 'drug-store cowboy,' 'storm and strife,' 'Dumb Dora,' 'dumb-bell,' 'finale hopper,' 'Benny' for hat and 'dogs' for shoes.
- ↑ World War I draft registration
- ↑ Tad Dorgan and his siblings:
The Children of Thomas J. and Anna R. Dorgan née Tobin Name Nickname Birth Death Thomas Aloysius Dorgan Tad 29 April 1877 2 May 1929 San Francisco CA Great Neck NY John Leo Dorgan Ike 15 April 1879 27 December 1960 San Francisco CA Bayside NY Catherine Dorgan 13 November 1880 San Francisco CA Marie Helen Dorgan 20 February 1882 20 May 1939 San Francisco CA Cincinnati OH Charles James Dorgan 16 June 1883 28 September 1922 San Francisco CA Colfax CA Edwin Joseph Dorgan 27 November 1885 31 October 1956 San Francisco CA Flushing NY Anna Loretta Dorgan Nan 14 January 1888 1 June 1967 San Francisco CA Bayside NY Irene Dorgan Eileen / Eile 12 September 1890 5 October 1945 San Francisco CA Flushing NY Richard William Dorgan Dick 24 September 1892 5 May 1953 San Francisco CA Bayside NY Joseph Vincent Dorgan Joe 25 December 1894 8 August 1945 San Francisco CA Bayside NY Alice Anita Dorgan 19 April 1898 15 November 1963 San Francisco CA Bayside NY - ↑ Twelfth Census of the United States
- ↑ Slogans in Advertising
- ↑ Wilton, David (2004). Word Myths: Debunking Linguistic Urban Legends. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 58–59. ISBN 0-19-517284-1.
- ↑ Popik, Barry (2004-07-15). "Hot Dog (Polo Grounds myth & original monograph)". The Big Apple. Retrieved 2007-05-27.
- ↑ Adcock, John. Yesterday's Papers
- ↑ International Boxing Hall of Fame: Observers
External links
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