Steve Kelley

For 45 years, political cartoonist Steve Kelley has devoted his attention to public officials the way the radiator grille of a tractor-trailer might devote its attention to June bugs. He has delighted readers by consistently consigning officeholders to the one fate they fear most -- that of not being taken seriously.

A 1981 honors graduate from Dartmouth College, Kelley spent two decades as staff political cartoonist for The San Diego Union-Tribune. In 2002, he moved to The Times-Picayune in New Orleans.  

"I tend to limit my cartoons to two subjects," Kelley confesses. "Politics and stuff people actually care about."

Kelley's cartoons are nationally syndicated and have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune and USA Today among many others. They are routinely featured on prominent Internet news sites.

With cartoonist Jeff Parker, Kelley created the popular syndicated comic strip, Dustin, which has appeared in more than 300 newspapers daily since its debut in 2010.

The Virginia native is a popular speaker and humorist.  A veteran of seven appearances on The Tonight Show, Kelley has given much of his time and talent to charity. Funny Money, a  fundraiser he co-created with another comedian, provided funding for the San Diego Child Abuse Prevention Foundation for seven consecutive years.  A Thousand Laughs for a Thousand Smiles  helped underwrite reconstructive dental surgery for children in Mexico.

Kelley is the father of a 27-year-old son, Hayden, about whom he brags without regard to the listener's interest.