Background
Jensen, Cecil Leon was born on January 17, 1902 in Ogden, Utah, United States. Son of Arthur Lorenzo and Lucy Mary (Rose) Jensen.
Jensen, Cecil Leon was born on January 17, 1902 in Ogden, Utah, United States. Son of Arthur Lorenzo and Lucy Mary (Rose) Jensen.
Born in Ogden, Utah, Jensen studied at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts.
After moving to California, Jensen worked at the Los Angeles Illustrated Daily News, eventually as editorial cartoonist. In 1928, Jensen returned to Chicago, where he was the editorial cartoonist at the Chicago Daily News. During World World War II, Jensen caricatured Chicago Tribune publisher Colonel McCormick as "Colonel McCosmic".
In 1946, he started the comic strip Syncopating Sue, and he also drew Elmo and Debbie.
Little Debbie became its more popular title, and it ran until 1961. Editor & Publisher noted in 1949:
Jensen operates from a studio in the Chicago Daily News, for whom he did editorial cartoons since 1928 before beginning the comic strip.
Publisher John Knight of the News was persuaded to let him go to comic strip creation only on the promise that he would continue with one editorial cartoon, weekly.
Married Margaret Buchmiller, May 3, 1924. Married second, Mary Lou Allegretti, October 10, 1969. Children: Patricia (Mistress Frank Benson), Barbara (Mistress Norman Nuckolis).