Nationally syndicated cartoonist George J. Smith moved his family and seven children to a new home in Mt. Angel, Oregon. The house, located at 880 Taylor St., was built around 1912 and formerly served as a residence for Mt. Angel College students. Smith is the creator of the comic strip "The Smith Family."

 

"The Truth Will make You Free!!"

Love

 

1954-1955

 

Wow the biggest part of our Taxes are going for things that go Boom!

 

Guy on TV said from the looks of it, evolution has gone into reverse..."

 

Dolores spoke her first words today.

 

Beyond the Gag: The Philosophical Evolution of George J. Smith

The intellectual weight of The Smith Family was rooted in George J. Smith’s diverse and often gritty background. Born in Brooklyn in 1920, he refined his craft under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and at the Pratt Institute. During World War II, he served as the chief artist for the 58th Signal Battalion in the Pacific. Having seen the "botch" of the world through the lens of war, he eventually turned toward the domestic sanctuary of family humor, famously remarking that he’d "had enough of that in the Army."

As the strip matured, it transcended the daily gag to become a sophisticated critique of what Smith called "The Suffocating Death Grip of Technocracy." He used his panels to target overregulation, consumerism, and the "spiritual aridity" of modern life. He lived by a profound philosophy, often attributed to Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, which served as his creative compass:

"We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience."

                                                                                                       While George held the pen, The Smith Family was a dual engine. Virginia Smith was not merely the inspiration for the strip but its Editor and Co-Writer. In an era where creative partnerships of this scale were rare in syndication, the Smiths maintained a formidable 44-year tenure in The Boston Globe, appearing daily from 1951 to 1995. This collaboration ensured the strip remained an "old familiar friend" to millions, grounded in a shared voice that only a four-decade marriage could produce.

Words People Use Text Book

THE BULK OF MANKIND MUST LAUGH AT US IF IT DOES NOT CRY... FOR THINKING WE ARE LEADING THE FORWARD MARCH OF HUMANITY...

 

Dolores!!

 

1954 'SMITH FAMILY' COMIC STRIP TO BEGIN SATURDAY CHAOS, confusion, love and fun. These are the qualities to be found among the characters in the new Journal comic strip-The Smith Family.

 

 

SO WHERE IS THE BEAUTY, IN STUDYIN WARS AND MASSACRES?

 

Lancaster New Era Lancaster, Pennsylvania · Friday, January 01, 1993

Launched in 1950, The Smith Family was a rare specimen in the world of syndicated comics: a "stark realism" that lived in real-time alongside its readers. The humor was born from the bustling, often chaotic reality of George and Virginia Smith as they raised eleven children—ten girls and one boy. This wasn't a curated fiction; it was a mirror. When readers followed the adventures of Tish, Suzy, Georgie, Laura, Tina, and Lorraine, they were witnessing the actual rhythms of the Smith home.

 

I suppose it has something to do with the new administration.

Sunday Third Page Comic Strips from 1956