John Churchill Chase

Who was John Churchill Chase?

John Churchill Chase was a cartoonist and writer. He was known for his editorial cartoons and his works on the history of his native New Orleans and Louisiana in the United States.

After high school in New Orleans, Chase attended the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts. He worked as assistant cartoonist to Frank King at the Chicago Tribune on the popular comic strip "Gasoline Alley" and other cartoons, before returning to New Orleans in 1927 to become editorial cartoonist for the New Orleans Item. He would continue this role through 1964, by which time the newspaper had become "The States-Item".

He is the author of the book, Frenchmen, Desire, Good Children and Other Streets of New Orleans. This book went through several popular editions from the 1960s through 1997, and has gone on to be widely acclaimed as a great chronicling of the history of New Orleans through the naming of its streets.

Chase's other works include the book Louisiana Purchase: an American Story.

He did editorial cartoons on television on WDSU during the 1960s. He did a mural depicting the history of New Orleans in cartoons for the main branch of the New Orleans Public Library.