Kin Hubbard
Kin Hubbard, born Frank McKinney Hubbard on September 1, 1868, in Bellefontaine, Indiana, was an influential American cartoonist and writer best known for his character Abe Martin. Growing up in a family with a newspaper background, Hubbard displayed artistic talent early on but left formal education in seventh grade. His career began in the realm of entertainment, but he shifted to journalism in 1891 when he joined the Indianapolis News as a staff artist. Hubbard became a recognized caricaturist and political cartoonist, particularly noted for his portrayal of Indiana politicians. The Abe Martin character, created in 1904, humorously depicted an uneducated philosopher reflecting on life, and became a cornerstone of his work. Hubbard's contributions to humor and culture in Indiana were significant, leading to the establishment of a state park in Brown County named after Abe Martin. Celebrated by contemporaries like Will Rogers, Kin Hubbard is often referred to as the "humorists' humorist," leaving a lasting legacy in American cartooning and wit.
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Subject Terms
Kin Hubbard
Cartoonist
- Born: September 1, 1868
- Birthplace: Bellefontaine, Ohio
- Died: December 26, 1930
Biography
Frank McKinney Hubbard, known as Kin Hubbard, was born September 1, 1868, in Bellefontaine, Indiana. He was the youngest of six children born to Thomas Hubbard, the owner of the Bellefontaine Weekly Examiner. At a young age, Hubbard demonstrated an artistic talent; however, this talent did not convert to schoolwork, and he left school in the seventh grade. Hubbard’s first ambition was to become an entertainer. He wrote and acted in short plays, often dressing up for the parts he played. Hubbard also loved the circus, and he was a frequent visitor to the Grand Opera House in Bellefontaine. For a brief time, Hubbard worked for the post office in Bellefontaine after his father was awarded the position of postmaster. During this time, Hubbard traveled through the South working as a silhouette artist. He briefly attended the Jefferson School of Art in Detroit, Michigan, but left because he found the school too tame for him.
In 1891, with the help of a friend, Hubbard started to work for the Indianapolis News as a staff artist, and he stayed with the newspaper for three years. However, after a disagreement with the new managing editor, Hubbard quit. For a time he worked for the Cincinnati Tribune, and for his father’s newspaper. In 1899, the Indianapolis Sun offered Hubbard a job as a caricaturist, and Hubbard earned a reputation as an excellent cartoonist. The Indianapolis News rehired Hubbard as a political cartoonist, and he remained there for the rest of his career.
Although Hubbard established a reputation as a cartoonist by drawing Indiana politicians, even publishing a collection of the drawings in 1903, he is best known for the creation of his character Abe Martin. After traveling around Indiana during the 1904 presidential campaign, Hubbard discovered that he had leftover material. He used this material to create the Abe Martin character, who first appeared in print in December, 1904. The character is best described as an uneducated philosopher who spent most of his time ruminating about life. When Hubbard found that he had things to say that did not seem to fit the Abe Martin character, he started to create other characters who appeared in the cartoon series as Martin’s neighbors and friends. In 1905, just before Christmas, Hubbard published his first collection of Abe Martin cartoons, which established a tradition that lasted for many years.
Hubbard’s impact on the state of Indiana was apparent even before his death in 1930. Indiana set aside thirteen thousand acres of land in Brown County, where Abe Martin supposedly lived, as a state park in honor of Hubbard. Hubbard’s wit and humor were praised by such notables as Will Rogers, and he was once described as the humorists’ humorist.