The American newspaper cartoonist Herbert Block (born 1909), better known as Herblock, was concerned with civil liberties and the attacks on them by demagogues and dishonest politicians.

Herbert Block was born October 13, 1909, in Chicago, Illinois. His pen name, Herblock, was suggested to him by his father David Julian, a chemist. His brother William, who was his earliest mentor and also active in journalism, induced him to enter that field. Block's first books were dedicated to "Bill ..., one of the best reporters in Chicago's newspaper history." His mother was Tessie, née Lupe. Endowed with a natural gift for drawing, he perfected it by attending the Chicago Art Institute part time; he also obtained a good general education at nearby Lake Forest College (1927-1929).

When only 19 Herblock began his career as journalist with the position of editorial cartoonist on the Chicago Daily News (1929-1933). He then moved to the...