Art Buchwald
With a typewriter and a twinkle in his eye, he deflated Washington's pomposity for decades, proving satire could be a potent form of truth-telling.
1925–2007 (age 82)·American humorist·Birthday: October 20·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Art Buchwald didn't just write about politics; he conducted a decades-long guerrilla theater campaign from his newspaper column. After a rough childhood spent in foster homes, he forged his wit in the post-war Paris of the 1950s, writing a wildly popular column about American expatriate life for the European edition of the New York Herald Tribune. Returning to Washington, he turned his pen on the capital's greatest foible: its own self-importance. Buchwald's genius was in treating the mighty with a gentle, absurdist logic, imagining the private, petty conversations of presidents and senators. He won a Pulitzer Prize for commentary not through fiery denunciation, but through laughter that exposed hypocrisy. Even in his final years, publicly grappling with kidney failure, he wrote with unwavering humor about mortality itself, leaving behind a blueprint for how to hold power accountable with a grin rather than a scream.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Art was born in 1925, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Art Was Born
The biggest hits of 1925
#1 Movie
The Gold Rush
Art's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1925Born
The Scopes Trial debates evolution in schools
Home: $4,366President: Calvin Coolidge"Sweet Georgia Brown" — Ben Bernie
1930Started school
Pluto discovered
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,510President: Herbert Hoover"Body and Soul" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: All Quiet on the Western Front
1938Became a teenager
Kristallnacht and the escalation toward WWII
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $2,850Min wage: $0.25/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Begin the Beguine" — Artie ShawBest Picture: You Can't Take It with You
1941Could drive
Pearl Harbor attack brings the US into WWII
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,060Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Glenn MillerBest Picture: How Green Was My Valley
1943Could vote
Allies invade Sicily; Battle of Stalingrad ends
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,290Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I've Heard That Song Before" — Harry JamesBest Picture: Casablanca
1946Turned 21
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1955Turned 30
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1965Turned 40
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1975Turned 50
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1985Turned 60
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1995Turned 70
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2005Turned 80
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches
Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
2007Died at 82
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
Key Achievements
- Won the Pulitzer Prize for Outstanding Commentary in 1982 for his sharp-witted political satire.
- His syndicated column ran in over 500 newspapers at its peak, making him one of the most widely read humorists in America.
- Authored more than 30 books, collecting his columns and original humorous works.
- His 1950s column from Paris in the International Herald Tribune famously captured the spirit of American expatriate life.
Did You Know?
He successfully sued Paramount Pictures, arguing that the Eddie Murphy film 'Coming to America' was based on a treatment he had written.
He dropped out of high school at 17 and joined the Marines, serving as a ground crewman in the Pacific during World War II.
For years, he hosted a celebrated Thanksgiving dinner at his home for friends who had nowhere else to go, a tradition known as 'the orphan's Thanksgiving'.
““Whether it's the best of times or the worst of times, it's the only time we've got.””
