Scope and Content Note
The papers of William Henry Mauldin (1921-2003) span the years 1941-1970 and consist of family papers, general correspondence, a speech, article, and book file, and miscellany. The collection is organized into four series: Family Papers; General Correspondence; Speech, Article, and Book File; and Miscellany.
The Family Papers are made up primarily of letters received from various family members, with few copies of Mauldin's replies except for an extensive series of letters he wrote to his wife, Natalie, in 1953 from England, where he was covering the coronation of Elizabeth II for Life magazine, and from France and Italy, which he visited later during the same trip.
The General Correspondence contains letters sent and received by Mauldin, 1943-1970. There are many letters from admirers of his work asking for originals or copies of cartoons, and letters expressing the writers' empathy with Mauldin's World War II cartoon figures, Willie and Joe. Other correspondence contains requests for Mauldin to speak before organizations and educational institutions, and correspondence with the Wide World Lecture Bureau indicates his frequent activity in this field. Mauldin's rise to fame as a cartoonist and author is revealed in his files relating to the Army Times, United Feature Syndicate, and his two principal literary agents, Ann Watkins, Inc., and the William Morris Agency. Other correspondence concerns his interest in civil aviation and his work on behalf of the American Veterans Committee, of which he was national chairman from 1953 to 1954. Prominent correspondents include Art Buchwald, Milton Arthur Caniff, Daniel Robert Fitazpatrick, E. J. Kahn (1916-1994), Will Lang, Reg Manning, Hebert Mitgang, A. S. Mike Monroney, Pat Oliphant, Maxwell E. Perkins, Ernie Pyle, and William Lindsay White.
A Speech, Article, and Book File contains the manuscripts of Mauldin's books in various forms and includes the original manuscripts of Up Front, Back Home, the autobiographical A Sort of a Saga, and Bill Mauldin in Korea. Among the speeches is the eulogy delivered by Mauldin at the funeral of Will Lang and many of the talks he gave on the development of his career as a cartoonist. There are also articles by Mauldin, a television script, and some advertising copy.
The Miscellany series includes biographical information, financial and legal papers, and material relating to Mauldin's political campaign of 1956 as the Democratic candidate in the 28th Congressional District of New York state.