Jack Kent (illustrator)

Jack Kent
BornJohn Wellington Kent
(1920-03-10)March 10, 1920
Burlington, Iowa, U.S.
DiedOctober 18, 1985(1985-10-18) (aged 65)
U.S.
Area(s)Cartoonist, Artist
Notable works
King Aroo
Spouse(s)June

John Wellington Kent, better known by his signature Jack Kent (March 10, 1920 – October 18, 1985), was an American cartoonist and prolific author-illustrator of 40 children's books. He is perhaps best known as the creator of King Aroo, a comic strip often compared to Walt Kelly's Pogo. In addition to his own books, he also illustrated 22 books by other authors.

Born in Burlington, Iowa, Kent dropped out of high school at the age of 15 and began a career as a freelance commercial artist, working in that field until he joined the U.S. Army in 1941.