Schaefer Political Cartoons

William Donald Schaefer (b. November 2, 1921 – d. April 18, 2011) was a Maryland Democrat politician who served in several prominent roles in Maryland during his career of more than 50 years in public office. Schaefer served on the Baltimore City Council beginning in 1955 before being elected Baltimore City Council President in 1967, he also served as the Mayor of Baltimore (1971-1987), Governor of Maryland (1987-1995), and Comptroller of Maryland (1999-2007). Throughout his years in public office, Schaefer was a well-known personality. While in office he was often portrayed in numerous newspaper political cartoons published in The Baltimore Sun and other publications. He collected copies of political cartoons depicting him created by cartoonists Thomas Flannery, Mike Lane, and others.

William Donald Schaefer was born in Baltimore, Maryland and graduated from the Baltimore City College in 1939. He received his bachelor’s degree in 1942 and master’s degree in law in 1954 from the University of Baltimore School of Law. Schaefer also served in the Army during World War II.

During his years with the Baltimore City Council, Shaefer helped pass housing, education, and urban renewal legislation. As Mayor of Baltimore City, Schaefer is known for his role in the redevelopment of Baltimore throughout the 1970s and 1980s, for his push for increased tourism in the city, and for other development programs. He was actively involved in the development of the Inner Harbor and of public transportation in Baltimore City. As mayor, some of the development projects Schaefer is best known for include the Baltimore subway, the Convention Center, the Hyatt hotel on Light Street, the National Aquarium, the World Trade Center, and Harborplace located at the Inner Harbor of the city.

As Governor of Maryland, Schaefer is known for his roles in building Camden Yards and a new football stadium in Baltimore City and for his role in the development of the Light Rail line running north and south between Hunt Valley and Glen Burnie, Maryland. He is also known for advocating for environmental legislation to improve the Chesapeake Bay, and for legislation regarding education and social programs in the state. William Donald Schaefer died April 18, 2011.

Thomas F. Flannery (b. 1920 – d. 1999) was a popular editorial cartoonist for The Baltimore Sun newspapers during the middle and late-twentieth century. Flannery published over 7,000 drawings with The Evening Sun and The Sun over his 31-year career with the newspaper before his retirement in 1988. Born in Pennsylvania in 1920, Flannery worked in New York City before joining the Air Force in the 1940s. While stationed in England he worked for the Yank magazine as an artist. He worked primarily in charcoal and ink during his career with The Baltimore Sun newspapers and his cartoons were a staple in the local community. Thomas F. Flannery died in Baltimore November 9, 1999.

Mike Lane (b. 1941 – d. 2019) was an award-winning well-known editorial cartoonist who worked for The Baltimore Sun newspaper, The Evening Sun, from 1972 until his retirement in 2004 when The Evening Sun merged with the morning paper, The Sun. Lane was known for his cartoon portrayals of local and national political figures such as former Baltimore mayor and Maryland governor William Donald Schaefer and former President Richard Nixon. A Maryland-native, Lane served in the Navy and worked for General Electric before beginning his career of over 30 years as a cartoonist with The Baltimore Sun. Mike Lane died in Baltimore November 17, 2019.

[Information from this historical note was gathered from newspaper articles and obituaries in The Baltimore Sun, The Washington Post, and The New York Times.]