Elmer A. Carter

Elmer Anderson Carter (July 19, 1890 - January 16, 1973) was an American writer and civil rights activist. He was involved with the National Urban League and was an editor of Opportunity: A Journal of Negro Life.

Biography

Carter was born in Rochester, New York on July 19, 1890.[1] His father, George C. Carter, was a Methodist minister and his mother, Florence Carter, "was a companion and friend to Harriet Tubman."[2] As a boy, he met Tubman and was proud of that fact throughout his life.[3] In 1899, the family moved to Gloversville, New York where his father became the pastor of the local African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church.[4] Elmer Carter graduated from Gloversville High School in 1907 and he went on to Harvard University, graduating in 1912.[4] In school, he was well-known as an orator.[5] He was a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.[6] After graduating from Harvard, he taught history at Prairie View State Normal College.[4]

During World War I, Carter served with the 92nd Division overseas where he fought in the Meuse–Argonne offensive.[7][4] After the war, he started working as a secretary for the National Urban League at the Columbus, Ohio office.[4] He worked for the league in Louisville, Kentucky and Minneapolis–Saint Paul.[4] For the St. Paul Urban League, Carter had a role in creating the Hallie Q. Brown Community Center.[8] As a member of the League, Carter spoke in favor of anti-lynching legislation in 1934.[9]

Carter became the editor of Opportunity: A Journal of Negro Life in 1928 and continued in that capacity until 1942.[10][11] He wrote for other magazines and journals including, the Birth Control Review, Labor Age,The Messenger, and Survey Graphic.[12][13] During World War II, Carter wrote about discrimination in the US Military and called for Black combat troops to serve with Chinese soldiers who had "no color line."[14]

Governor Herbert H. Lehman appointed Carter to the Unemployment Insurance Appeal Board in 1937.[3] In 1945, Carter was appointed the New York State Commission Against Discrimination, which later became the New York State Division of Human Rights.[15] In 1953, he became the first Black man to run as a Republican candidate for president of the Manhattan Borough.[16] Carter resigned from the New York State Human Rights Division in 1961.[3] He continued to work in politics, advising Governor Nelson Rockefeller on "race relations."[3][17]

Personal life and legacy

Carter married Thelma Charles Johnson on June 7, 1927.[1]

Carter died on January 16, 1973 in a nursing home only two weeks after the death of his wife.[6] He was buried in Ferncliff Cemetery.[6] Carter's portrait is part of the collection of the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery.[18]

References

  1. ^ a b "Elmer Carter Dies in Nursing Home at 83". New York Amsterdam News. 1973-01-20. p. 1. Retrieved 2025-10-18 – via Newspapers.com. and "Carter". New York Amsterdam News. 1973-01-20. p. 3. Retrieved 2025-10-18.
  2. ^ "Carter Knows New York Like Palm of His Hand". The Chicago Defender. 1953-09-12. p. 5. Retrieved 2025-10-18 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b c d Lanset, Andy (18 February 2019). "One of the Country's Earliest African-American Radio Programs on WNYC 1929-1930 | WNYC | New York Public Radio, Podcasts, Live Streaming Radio, News". WNYC. Retrieved 2025-10-21.
  4. ^ a b c d e f "Pastor's Son, Veteran, & Social Justice Activist: Elmer Anderson Carter". Fulton County Historian. 2021-02-03. Retrieved 2025-10-18.
  5. ^ "Elmer Anderson Carter -- Race Relations Banquet". Salem Outlook. 38 (22): 2. 6 February 1942 – via Internet Archive.
  6. ^ a b c "Elmer Carter Buried in Ferncliff Cemetery". New York Amsterdam News. 1973-02-03. p. 24. Retrieved 2025-10-18 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Testimonial Dinner to be Given in Honor of Elmer A. Carter at the Roger Smith, Mar. 24". Call and Post. 1953-08-01. p. 17. Retrieved 2025-10-18 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "About". Hallie Q. Brown Community Center. 2014-05-31. Retrieved 2025-10-21.
  9. ^ Weiss 1974, p. 266.
  10. ^ Weiss 1974, p. 247.
  11. ^ "N.Y. GOP Backs Negro for Manhattan Borough President". Call and Post. 1953-08-01. p. 17. Retrieved 2025-10-18 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Vincent-Smoot, Ferol (1932-06-18). "Magazine Devote Issue to Negroes and Birth Control". New Journal and Guide. p. 27. Retrieved 18 October 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Elmer Carter to be Heard in Southwest". The Call. 1937-02-19. p. 2. Retrieved 2025-10-18 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ Zhang, Tao (2025-07-01). "China in African Americans' Pursuit of Equality during the Second World War". Journal of Contemporary History. 60 (3): 480. doi:10.1177/00220094251314432. ISSN 0022-0094.
  15. ^ "Civil Rights for All: The New York State Human Rights Law Turns 80". Visit the Empire State Plaza & New York State Capitol. Retrieved 2025-10-21.
  16. ^ "National Report". Jet. 4 (13): 4. 6 August 1953 – via Internet Archive.
  17. ^ "Elmer Anderson Carter". New York Times. 17 January 1973. Retrieved 21 October 2025 – via ProQuest.
  18. ^ "Elmer Anderson Carter". National Portrait Gallery. Retrieved 2025-10-18.

Sources


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