Ahern, Gene

Gene Ahern (1895 - 1960) was best known for Major Hoople, a character who appeared in the syndicated panel Our Boarding House.

After three years at the Chicago Art Institute, Ahern went to Cleveland and worked for the NEA syndicate (1914-15) on such strips as Dream Dope, Fathead Fritz, Sporty Sid and his Pals and Taking Her to the Ball Game, Squirrel Food, Balmy Benny and Otto Auto. In 1921 he introduced the Nut Brothers, Ches and Wal, in The Crazy Quilt. Our Boarding House began that same year, scoring a huge success with readers after the January 1922 arrival of Major Hoople.

Leaving NEA in March 1936 for King Features, Ahern created Room and Board (1936-58). A resident in that boarding house was Judge Puffle, very much in the Hoople tradition. The Squirrel Cage (1937-45), featured a bearded hitchhiker who was obviously the inspiration for Robert Crumb's Mr. Natural character.