Longtime editorial cartoonist Steve Benson — who won the Pulitzer Prize in 1993 — died Tuesday at the age of 71.
For decades, Benson poked fun at the state’s political figures — first in the pages of the Arizona Republic, and more recently for the Arizona Mirror. Although humor was a big part of his work, he also saw an element of civic duty as he told KJZZ in 2017.
Steve Benson/Arizona Republic
"Like my colleague Cal Grondahl said, ‘Cartoonists throw the first punch in the bar fight, then stand back and watch everybody else join in.’ So, what we try to do is actually agitate, in order to get people to participate," Benson said.
Benson retired in 2024, after decades at the Arizona Republic and five years at the Arizona Mirror.
Claire Ferguson, Arizona Mirror
