Charles Kuhn, alternatively known as "Chas" and "Doc," was a cartoonist best known for the comic strip titled Grandma, based on Kuhn's own mother. Kuhn was born in Prairie City, Illinois. Before attending the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts, Kuhn spent his early adult life working in a plow factory, as a freight hustler, mill hand, steel tank worker, sign painter, and a Navy fireman during World War I. Kuhn then began work as a cartoonist for the Rocky Mountain News and later an editorial cartoonist for the Indianapolis News, a role he remained in for 26 years. At the age of 55 Kuhn left editorial cartooning and began creating Grandmother, which was distributed by Duke Richardson's and then by King Features Syndicate. In 1958 the Chicago convention of the Grandmothers Club of America named Kuhn and his wife the "Foster Grandparents of the Year." The award consisted of miniature gold rocking chairs with red plush seats.
