John Alton Collins was born in Washington D.C., and moved with his family to Canada in 1920. He studied art at Sir George Williams University and the Montreal School of Fine Arts. In 1939, he became the first staff cartoonist for the Montreal Gazette, where he worked until his retirement in 1982. Many of Collins's cartoons included the character Uno Who, a cash-strapped taxpayer who wore only a bankruptcy barrel. He was considered a gentleman among editorial cartoonists, with a reputation of speed and reliability. John Collins died at the age of 89 on September 17, 2007.

Collins won the National Newspaper Award in 1954 and 1973.