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![End of an Era]()
Scott Stantis chose to focus on Kennedy as a member of one of America's most powerful political dynasties, replete with the imagery of Camelot. "You try to come up with something that no one else will come up with, so I was looking for some kind of image that would be unique," he told FOXNews.com. Although Stantis did not align himself politically with the Senator, he sought an image that memorialized the scope of the liberal lawmaker's life. "As a conservative I didn't want to say I agree with the guy, because I really didn't. But you look at the impact of the guy, over 40 years in the Senate, and we're mourning the loss of someone who figured very prominently in American politics. And obviously there's the legacy of the family." Going home was a very important theme for Stantis. "It really is the end of Camelot -- for that generation at least -- that generation which means a lot to someone my age." Click here for more cartoons from Scott Stantis![Farewell to Ted]()
For David Fitzsimmons, a longtime cartoonist at The Arizona Star, the death of Senator Kennedy marked the end of an era in American politics. "I was seven when John Kennedy was assassinated. I grew up with the Kennedy family in politics," he told FOXNews.com. Fitzsimmons therefore wanted to create a cartoon that would pay homage to the lasting Kennedy influence. "It is a sentimental cartoon. There is the Camelot imagery of course. He is the end of the line, so the idea was one of those fortunate light bulb moments in cartoon drawing." Fitzsimmons notes that Kennedy, though serving Massachusetts, touched the entire country. "It's kind of interesting that a Senator like Kennedy, who served Massachusetts, would resonate so much with a cartoonist like me, out in Arizona, out in the shrubs." Click here for more cartoons from David Fitzsimmons![Final Farewell]()
Dave Granlund wanted his cartoon to serve as a final "soft send-off" for the lawmaker, choosing imagery that depicts Kennedy in the place that made him happiest. "Sailing was Ted's love, as was the Kennedy home in Hyannis Port, Mass., so these images were first to come to my mind. Everyone has their little 'heaven on earth' and for Ted it was Hyannis Port." Granlund admits he has disagreed with Kennedy over the years, but he wished this editorial cartoon to be a respectful farewell. "I have done many caustic cartoons in a love-hate relationship that I've had with Ted over the years, but on this obituary cartoon, he gets a soft send-off from me. I'm returning the favor, I guess, as he was gracious enough to turn the other cheek to write the foreward for my recent book of my editorial cartoons which included barbs at him." Click here for more cartoons from Dave Granlund![Kennedy the Orator]()
For Jimmy Margulies, cartoonist at The North Jersey Record, the final image for Ted Kennedy came easily. "I thought of this a while back -- I wanted to pay tribute to such a prominent figure. There was Kennedy as the 'Lion of the Senate,' there was Camelot, there was sailing. Those were all very touching, but I wanted to come up with something a little bit different," Margulies told FOXNews.com. For Margulies, the way to be different was to focus on some of Kennedy's most famous words, taken from the speech given by the Senator at the Democratic National Convention in 1980. "That quote I thought was very inspiring, especially given that the cause of his life -- health care reform -- had not passed at the time of his passing." Click here for more cartoons from Jimmy Margulies![Lion of the Senate]()
Nate Beeler, cartoonist at The Washington Examiner, considered several editorial directions before selecting an image that reflects Kennedy's lasting political legacy -- particularly his time in the United States Senate. "For people like Ted Kennedy, because you need to decide what you want to play up, if anything, what kind of tone you want to set, I tinkered with several ideas, and I decided to focus on how giant a figure he was in relation to the nation's legislative history," Beeler told FOXNews.com. "I want to have the emotional impact come across in the cartoon. Kennedy will forever be linked to the Senate, and being the 'Lion of the Senate.' And I'd seen some photos of the lions in front of the Senate." Beeler added that, as a cartoonist, he believes that politicians deserve respectful coverage on the day of their death. "With somebody like Ted Kennedy, he can be rightly criticized, but also there's so much there to respect." Click here for more cartoons from Nate Beeler![Kennedy's Legacy]()
R.J. Matson, cartoonist for The St. Louis Dispatch, tells FOXNews.com that memorializing Senator Ted Kennedy was a challenge. "I don't like doing obit cartoons because they are very hard to do without being sappy. There are all the famous images surrounding Ted Kennedy, but I didn't want to do that. So I tried to come up with something that was a little more contemporary but still acknowledged his career in the Senate." For Matson, the inspiration came from Shepard Fairey's now iconic "Hope" painting of Barack Obama, seen across the campaign trail in 2008. "I decided that this would connect Kennedy to the famous Obama painting. I used 'Liberal' for the big image because Kennedy was the most proud liberal in American politics. From there it was sort of just a process of figuring out what else worked." Click here for more cartoons from R.J. Matson![Kennedy Brothers]()
Green Bay Press-Gazette decided to depict Senator Kennedy with the other two brothers in the iconic Kennedy clan -- John and Robert. "I wanted to tie in the family," Heller told FOXNews.com. Heller then decided to bring in the lyrics from the 1968 song, 'Abraham, Martin & John,' sung by Dion. "I tried to tie it all in together, without going into some of the more sordid details of Kennedy's past. I tried to not use symbols. I thought of tying John and Robert." Click here for more cartoons from Joe HellerKennedy's Passing Etched in Ink
With the death of Senator Edward M. Kennedy, the patriarch of the Kennedy clan, Americans are reflecting on the life of the longtime lawmaker and liberal champion. FOXNews.com interviewed editorial cartoonists for their reactions to the death of the 'Lion of the Senate.'
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- Kennedy's Passing Etched in Ink
