John Hager (cartoonist)
American dentist and cartoonist (1858–1932)
John Ross "Dok" Hager (June 29, 1858 – June 14, 1932) was an American cartoonist for the Seattle Daily Times, creator of a daily comic accompanying the weather report, and the comic strip Dok's Dippy Duck. Hager's nickname stems from his time as a dentist in Terre Haute, Indiana before he moved to Seattle, Washington in 1889 and began working for the Seattle Times. Hager retired in 1925 due to blindness.
In Seattle he was known as a weatherman and for his commentaries (using a cartoon of the Umbrella Man and of a talking duck).
Background
He was the son of Jacob H. Hager and Carrie Ross of Terre Haute, Indiana. Before moving to Indiana, his family had lived in Hagerstown, Maryland. He married Anna Hyde, who gave him four children. Two of his children were alive when he died.
After he attended school in Europe (his obituary says Germany, but his passport application said Zurich, Switzerland), he set up as a dentist in Terre Haute. He moved to Seattle in 1889, where he continued as a dentist.
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