George McManus (January 23, 1884 – October 22, 1954) was an American cartoonist best known as the creator of Irish immigrant Jiggs and his wife Maggie, the main characters of his syndicated comic strip, Bringing Up Father.

He recalled an incident when he was in high school: "My teacher sent home to my parents a picture I had drawn of a classmate named Sweeney.

[1][2] In 1904, McManus created the first American family comic strip, The Newlyweds, about an elegant young couple and their baby Snookums.

McManus was inspired by The Rising Generation, a musical comedy by William Gill that he had seen as a boy in St. Louis, Missouri's Grand Opera House, where his father was manager.

For his contribution to American humor, Roanoke College honored McManus with an honorary degree, Doctor of Humane Letters.