George Matthew Adams
Encyclopedia
George Matthew Adams was a newspaper columnist and founder of the George Matthew Adams Newspaper Service, which syndicated comic strip
s and columns to newspapers for five decades. His own writings were circulated widely to The Gettysburg Times
and many other newspapers.
, George Matthew Adams launched the Adams Newspaper Service in 1907. Adams' syndicate was located at 8 West 40th Street in Manhattan. When Adams and Emporia Gazette
publisher William Allen White
met in Chicago
in 1908, Adams hired White to write about political issues. Adams had copies of Walt Mason's light verse which he had clipped from the Gazette, and said, "I like this stuff. I'd like to syndicate it to other papers. Suppose I could?" White responded, "Sure. Give Uncle Walt about $18 a week, and he'll be tickled pink to do it for you." Adams did, and as Mason's "Rippling Rhythms" column increased in popularity, he eventually increased Mason's salary to $15,000 a year.
In the 1910s, Adams was selling Dr. Frank Crane's (1861-1928) popular "Four Minute Essays". When he lost Crane to a competitor, he decided to write short inspirational essays himself while he traveled from city to city selling to newspapers. In the 1950s, Crane was all but forgotten, but Adams' short inspirational columns were in about 100 newspapers and also collected in a series of books.
's Freddy, Edwina Dumm
's Cap Stubbs and Tippie
and Ed Wheelan
's Minute Movies. The syndicate also distributed single-panel cartoons, including some accompanied by jokes, backwoods homilies, light verse or Adams-style inspiration. In addition to sports cartoons by Lank Leonard
, Adams syndicated Johnny Gruelle
's illustrated Raggedy Ann
panels from 1934 to 1938. The uplifting Raggedy Ann verses emphasized forthrightness, honesty, kindness and thrift.
Adam's syndicate peaked in the 1920s and 1930s, eventually fading as its founder aged. The remaining features were sold to the Washington Star Syndicate after Adams’ death in 1962.
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
s and columns to newspapers for five decades. His own writings were circulated widely to The Gettysburg Times
The Gettysburg Times
The Gettysburg Times is an American newspaper in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania published by Times and News Publishing Company, which also owns Great County 107.7 and Fox Sports 1320 radio stations. It was founded in 1800 and is published daily, except for Sundays, Christmas Day and New Years Day.The...
and many other newspapers.
History
Born in Saline, MichiganSaline, Michigan
Saline is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 8,810.The city is popular for its annual Celtic Festival, which attracts people from all over the United States and its sister cities Brecon, Wales and Lindenberg, Germany...
, George Matthew Adams launched the Adams Newspaper Service in 1907. Adams' syndicate was located at 8 West 40th Street in Manhattan. When Adams and Emporia Gazette
Emporia Gazette
The Emporia Gazette is a daily newspaper in Emporia, Kansas.The newspaper rose to national attention after William Allen White bought the newspaper for $3,000 in 1895. The paper rose to national prominence and influence in the Republican Party following a White editorial in 1896, "What's the...
publisher William Allen White
William Allen White
William Allen White was a renowned American newspaper editor, politician, author, and leader of the Progressive movement...
met in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in 1908, Adams hired White to write about political issues. Adams had copies of Walt Mason's light verse which he had clipped from the Gazette, and said, "I like this stuff. I'd like to syndicate it to other papers. Suppose I could?" White responded, "Sure. Give Uncle Walt about $18 a week, and he'll be tickled pink to do it for you." Adams did, and as Mason's "Rippling Rhythms" column increased in popularity, he eventually increased Mason's salary to $15,000 a year.
In the 1910s, Adams was selling Dr. Frank Crane's (1861-1928) popular "Four Minute Essays". When he lost Crane to a competitor, he decided to write short inspirational essays himself while he traveled from city to city selling to newspapers. In the 1950s, Crane was all but forgotten, but Adams' short inspirational columns were in about 100 newspapers and also collected in a series of books.
George Matthew Adams Service
The name of the Adams Newspaper Service was changed in 1916 to the George Matthew Adams Service. Adams also syndicated comics, including Robert BaldwinRobert Baldwin (cartoonist)
Robert G. Baldwin , who used the signature Rupe, was best known for his comic strip Freddy about a goofy kid.Baldwin studied painting at Washington's Corcoran School of Art. Instead of entering the field of fine art, however, he supported himself with government work and advertising art...
's Freddy, Edwina Dumm
Edwina Dumm
Frances Edwina Dumm was a writer-artist who drew the comic strip Cap Stubbs and Tippie for six decades and is also notable as the nation’s first full-time female editorial cartoonist, She used her middle name for the signature on her comic strip, signed simply Edwina.One of the earliest female...
's Cap Stubbs and Tippie
Cap Stubbs and Tippie
Cap Stubbs and Tippie was a syndicated newspaper comic strip created by the cartoonist Edwina Dumm. At times the title changed to Tippie & Cap Stubbs or Tippie....
and Ed Wheelan
Ed Wheelan
Edgar S. Wheelan was an American cartoonist best known for his comic strip Minute Movies, satirizing silent films, and his comic book Fat and Slat, published by EC Comics...
's Minute Movies. The syndicate also distributed single-panel cartoons, including some accompanied by jokes, backwoods homilies, light verse or Adams-style inspiration. In addition to sports cartoons by Lank Leonard
Lank Leonard
Frank E. Leonard , better known as Lank Leonard, was an American cartoonist artist who created the long-running comic strip Mickey Finn, which he drew for more than three decades.-Early life and career:...
, Adams syndicated Johnny Gruelle
Johnny Gruelle
Johnny Gruelle was an American artist, political cartoonist, children's book author and illustrator . He is known as the creator of Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy...
's illustrated Raggedy Ann
Raggedy Ann
Raggedy Ann is a fictional character created by American writer Johnny Gruelle in a series of books he wrote and illustrated for young children. Raggedy Ann is a rag doll with red yarn for hair and has a triangle nose...
panels from 1934 to 1938. The uplifting Raggedy Ann verses emphasized forthrightness, honesty, kindness and thrift.
Adam's syndicate peaked in the 1920s and 1930s, eventually fading as its founder aged. The remaining features were sold to the Washington Star Syndicate after Adams’ death in 1962.
Books
- Better Than Gold
- The Great Little Things
- You Can
- Just Among Friends
- Up
- Take It