'Old Harrigan'.
Linus Maurer was born and raised in Sleepy Eye, Minnesota. He spent four years in the Navy during World War II and graduated from the Minneapolis School of Art in 1950. Following graduation, he became a cartoon instructor at the Art Instruction School in Minneapolis, where one of his colleagues was Charles Schulz. Schulz later named his 'Peanuts' character Linus after him. Maurer continued to create several syndicated cartoon and comic features himself, starting with 'Old Harrigan' for the Register and Tribune Syndicate from 1955 to 1958.
Maurer then worked in animation for television, and from 1963 as an art director for animated films and commercials in San Francisco. He developed a math puzzle feature called 'Challenger', syndicated around the world by King Features to this day. He also made a newspaper version of Merv Griffin's TV show 'Wheel of Fortune'. Other syndicated features were 'Abracadabra' (art by Rebecca Archey for the Chicago Tribune-New York News Syndicate, 1970-71) and 'In The Beginning' (Inter-Continental Press Syndicate, 1978-1979).
Maurer later settled in the town of Sonoma, where he was named Treasure Artist in 1991. He picked up painting, and produced 'Newshound', a twice-weekly editorial cartoon for the Sonoma Index-Tribune.