{{Short description|American artist}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2026}} thumb|"The more you mix in, the easier to satisfy everyone", a cartoon by Knecht, ''Evansville Courier'', Oct. 1912. '''Karl Kae Knecht''' (December 4, 1883 – July 28, 1972) was an American artist who was the cartoonist for the ''Evansville Courier'' (now ''Courier & Press'') from 1906 to 1960 and was instrumental in the founding of Evansville's Mesker Park Zoo. His work was the subject of a book: ''The World of Karl Kae Knecht Through His Cartoons'' by Philip C. Ensley, published in 1979 by University of Evansville Press.<ref>[http://lccn.loc.gov/79109943 Library of Congress card catalog entry]</ref>
==Personal life== Knecht was born on December 4, 1883, in Iroquois, Dakota Territory. He moved to Freeport, Illinois, at the age of 2, where his father worked as a partner in a clothing store.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Ensley |first=Philip C. |title=The World of Karl Kae Knecht through his cartoons |publisher=University of Evansville Press |year=1979 |location=Evansville, Indiana |pages=iv, 1–3, 8–9 |language=en}}</ref> He had two sisters, Klara and Fay. Knecht married Jennie E. Moore of Evansville (daughter of Elwood Moore) on August 22, 1918.
He enjoyed circuses and performing as a clown,<ref>"Grown Ups who Run Away to the Circus" by Earl Chapin May. ''New York Times'', April 17, 1932. (NY Times online archive.)</ref> and at the age of 14, organized and presented the Knecht and Becker Circus, in which his sister Klara performed as a singer and entertainer.<ref name=":0" /> He was later a founding member of the "Circus Fans' Association", serving as its first secretary-treasurer starting in 1926.<ref>"Circus Fans' Organization Celebrates First Birthday." ''New York Times'', April 10, 1927. (NY Times online archive.)</ref>
Through his circus connections, Knecht was able to play an important role in the founding of Evansville's Mesker Park Zoo. He was gifted a pair of lions by the John Robinson Circus in 1928, which he donated to the city. Afterwards, he helped in raising funds for the city to purchase a baby elephant. The elephant, named "Kay" would go on to be featured in many of Knecht's cartoons, sometimes as the subject, and other times as a sort of signature or trademark in the bottom corner of the composition.<ref name=":0" />
==Career== Following his high school graduation in 1902, Knecht worked as a yard clerk for the Illinois Central Railroad. He was transferred to Chicago the next year, where he began his formal art education. He studied at the Chicago Art Institute. Upon the completion of his art courses, he became a railroad clerk in Danville, Illinois. There, he drew cartoons that he sent to newspapers across the country in the hopes that they would offer him a job.<ref name=":0" />
In 1906, Knecht became the cartoonist for the Evansville Courier and later served as the newspaper's first staff photographer.<ref name=":0" /> Until 1954, Knecht's work appeared on the front page, when it was moved to the editorial page.<ref name="Karl K. Knecht Papers 1906-1966">[http://library.syr.edu/digital/guides/k/knecht_k.htm Karl K. Knecht Papers 1906-1966] Syracuse University, October 12, 2009, Retrieved November 29, 2010</ref> During his 54-year-long tenure, Knecht produced over 18,000 cartoons commenting on various topics, including local news, national politics, international affairs, philanthropic causes, and entertainment.
==References== {{reflist}}
==Further reading== *{{cite news |url=http://www.courierpress.com/news/2008/aug/26/meskers-early-years-photo-archive-traces-history/ |title=Photo archive traces history of Indiana's second-oldest zoo |last=Davis |first=Rich |date=August 26, 2008 |newspaper=Evansville Courier & Press |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120211145747/http://www.courierpress.com/news/2008/aug/26/meskers-early-years-photo-archive-traces-history/ |archive-date=February 11, 2012 |access-date=September 19, 2008 |url-status=dead}} *{{cite news|url=http://content.ancestry.com/browse/view.aspx?dbid=51530&iid=News-SO-HU_AN_DA_PL.1955_07_12-0005&desc=%22Karl+Kae+Knecht%22+-wikipedia&veil=1&o_xid=18704&o_lid=18704&offerid=0%3a7797%3a0|title=Karl Kae Knecht, Famed Cartoonist, Returns To Old Home Town To Join Iroquis in Anniversary Jubilee|date=July 12, 1955|publisher=Huronite and Daily Plainsman (Huron, South Dakota). |accessdate=September 19, 2008}} *{{cite news|url=http://www.newspaperarchive.com/LandingPage.aspx?type=nlp&img=\\na0042\6796901\50066504_clean.html| title=No title | date=November 29, 1936|publisher=Ogden Standard Examiner (Ogden, Utah)|accessdate=September 19, 2008}} "The most enthusiastic circus fan in America is Karl Kae Knecht who has just entered upon his year as cartoonist for the Evanville Courier ..." *{{cite news|url=http://www.myinky.com/features/150/hist0810.htm|title=Versatile Knecht served as columnist, photographer|date=August 10, 1995|publisher=The Evansville Courier|accessdate=September 19, 2008|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20041027014303/http://www.myinky.com/features/150/hist0810.htm|archivedate=October 27, 2004}} *Philip C. Ensley. ''The world of Karl Kae Knecht through his cartoons''. University of Evansville Press, 1979. *James Lachlan MacLeod. ''The Cartoons of Evansville's Karl Kae Knecht: Half A Century of Artistic Activism''. Arcadia Publishing, 2017.
==External links== * [http://digital.evpl.org/cdm/landingpage/collection/karlknecht/ The Karl Kae Knecht Collection] of digitized cartoons, Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Knecht, Karl Kae}} Category:1883 births Category:1972 deaths Category:American editorial cartoonists Category:American political artists Category:American columnists Category:American clowns Category:20th-century American photographers Category:People from Evansville, Indiana Category:American people of German descent