Editing Paul Conrad (section)

==Personal life==
Conrad was an imposing man with a powerful voice who was often seen smoking a pipe while working on his cartoons. James Rainey of the ''Los Angeles Times'' described Conrad as a "towering, practically invulnerable figure" standing at "6 feet 2, [with] his large head framed by thick, black-rimmed glasses", his demeanor "loud and often profane in person".<ref name="Rainey"/> The Library of Congress described him as "a tall Midwesterner with long hair swept straight back from his forehead [who] displayed a trait that he said he often wished for in his subjects: the ability to laugh at oneself".<ref name="French"/>

Conrad married Kay King, the ''Post'''s society editor, in 1953. As his wife, Kay became one of only two people (along with his editor at the ''Times'', [[Edwin O. Guthman]]) who could influence his work.<ref name="Rainey"/><ref name="McFadden"/>

Although he was raised as a Republican and a Catholic, his views changed as he aged. By 1960, the media was comparing his point of view to an "[[Adlai Stevenson II|Adlai Stevenson]] Democrat".<ref name="time60"/> Conrad voted for only one Republican in his life, Dwight D. Eisenhower, but said he later regretted it.<ref name="Multer"/> He remained a devout Catholic and his belief in [[social justice]] informed his work.<ref name="Multer">Multer-Wellin, B. (2006). ''[http://www.hulu.com/watch/55119 Paul Conrad: Drawing Fire] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108080124/http://www.hulu.com/watch/55119 |date=2012-11-08 }}''. Documentary, Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).</ref>  According to Matt Schudel of ''The Washington Post'', "Conrad considered himself an unabashed political liberal, except for his long-held opposition to abortion. He changed his views in the 1980s, when he came to believe that it was a matter of private choice."<ref name="Schudel"/>