Political cartoonist. Experts estimate that J. N. “Ding” Darling drew 15,000 editorial cartoons chronicling the history, trends, thoughts, and politics of the United States for the first half of the twentieth century. He worked for the Sioux City Journal from 1900-1906, and subsequently worked for the Des Moines Register until his retirement 1949, and at the peak of his career, nearly 150 daily papers carried his cartoons. His first political cartoon, which depicted Teddy Roosevelt shooting holes in the policies of William Jennings Bryan, appeared in the Sioux City Journal on June 27, 1900. His first Pulitzer Prize (only the second ever awarded for editorial cartoons) came in 1924. His second Pulitzer was awarded in 1943 for a cartoon showing the White House and US Capitol buried in a sea of paperwork. An avid conservationist, Darling was the founder and first president of the National Wildlife Federation and was instrumental in the development of the Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit Program and the Federal Duck Stamp program.  He designed the first Federal Duck Stamp in 1934. Darling is credited with starting the national wildlife refuge system during Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s administration, when Darling became head of the U.S. Biological Survey, which evolved into the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Serving 20 months in 1934 and 1935, Darling obtained $20 million for wildlife projects and bought 4-1/2 million acres for refuges.  After his death, the Sanibel Wildlife Refuge in Florida was renamed in his honor. (bio by: Shiver)  Family links:  Parents:  Marcellus Warner Darling (1844 – 1913)  Clara Woolson Darling (1848 – 1916)  Spouse:  Genevieve Pendleton Darling (1877 – 1968)*  Children:  John Pendleton Darling (1909 – 1973)*  Mary Darling Koss (1912 – 1981)* *Calculated relationship