W. Horace Carter
Encyclopedia
Walter Horace Carter was an American
newspaper
publisher
in Tabor City, North Carolina
who won a Pulitzer Prize
in 1953 for his reporting on the activities of the Ku Klux Klan
and his editorials opposing it. Filmmaker Walt Campbell is making a documentary about Carter tentatively titled, Confronting the Klan: The W. Horace Carter Story.
. After graduating from high school, the first in his family to do so, he attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
. At UNC, he worked as editor of the student paper. He served in the United States Navy
during World War II
, where he saw action in the North Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Theater of Operations
.
. With the connections he established there, he founded a weekly newspaper in 1946 called the Tabor City Tribune.
In the July 26, 1950, issue of The Tribune, Carter wrote "An Editorial: No Excuse for KKK" in response to a July 22 parade by a Klan group through Tabor City, taking a strong stance against the Ku Klux Klan as an example of "outside-the-law operations that lead to dictatorships through fear and insecurity" and calling the group "the personification of Fascism
and Nazism
". The editorial was the first of more than 100 such newspaper pieces that Carter wrote in the three succeeding years expressing his fierce opposition to the Klan and its methods, providing details of rallies and Klan violence. The KKK didn't appreciate Carter's actions, and Thomas Hamilton, Grand Dragon of the Association of Carolina Klans, threatened his paper and its advertisers. Though he found some support in the local community, Carter's views were largely rejected by the community at large, leaving him and his family isolated.
Carter's reporting led to the involvement of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
into the local Klan, leading to the convictions on federal and state charges of many of its members, including Grand Dragon, Thomas Hamilton. Along with Willard Cole of the Whiteville News Reporter
, Carter was awarded the 1953 Pulitzer Prize for Meritorious Public Service in recognition of "their successful campaign against the Ku Klux Klan, waged on their own doorstep at the risk of economic loss and personal danger, culminating in the conviction of over one hundred Klansmen and an end to terrorism in their communities."
. After a few decades of fishing and writing about the outdoors, Carter returned to Tabor City and returned to The Tribune.
The newspaper is still in circulation today, now called "The Tabor-Loris Tribune," and is owned and operated by parent company Atlantic Packaging Corporation. Atlantic Packaging is also an independent packaging distribution and paper converting company with locations across the Southeast. Carter worked in the newspaper division of Atlantic in Tabor City, N.C., writing his weekly editorials, until a week before his death.
Carter died at age 88 on September 16, 2009, of a heart attack
while being transported to his Tabor City home from the New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, N.C. He was survived by his third wife, the former Linda Duncan, his son Rusty Carter, current owner of Atlantic Packaging Corp, (www.atlanticpkg.com), along with two daughters Linda Metzger, Velda Kay Hughes, as well as 10 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. His first wife, Lucille, died of cancer in 1982, and his second marriage was ended by divorce.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
publisher
Publishing
Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of literature or information—the activity of making information available to the general public...
in Tabor City, North Carolina
Tabor City, North Carolina
Tabor City is a town in Columbus County, North Carolina, United States.It was named after Mount Tabor Baptist Church , which itself is named after the biblical Mount Tabor. Originally named Mt...
who won a Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
in 1953 for his reporting on the activities of the Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
and his editorials opposing it. Filmmaker Walt Campbell is making a documentary about Carter tentatively titled, Confronting the Klan: The W. Horace Carter Story.
Early life and education
Carter was born on January 20, 1921, in Albemarle, North CarolinaAlbemarle, North Carolina
Albemarle is the county seat of Stanly County, North Carolina. The population was 15,680 at the 2000 census. It is governed by Mayor Elbert L. "Whit" Whitley, Jr...
. After graduating from high school, the first in his family to do so, he attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
. At UNC, he worked as editor of the student paper. He served in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, where he saw action in the North Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Theater of Operations
Pacific Theater of Operations
The Pacific Theater of Operations was the World War II area of military activity in the Pacific Ocean and the countries bordering it, a geographic scope that reflected the operational and administrative command structures of the American forces during that period...
.
The Tribune and the KKK
After the completion of his military service, Carter was hired by the merchants association in Tabor City, North CarolinaTabor City, North Carolina
Tabor City is a town in Columbus County, North Carolina, United States.It was named after Mount Tabor Baptist Church , which itself is named after the biblical Mount Tabor. Originally named Mt...
. With the connections he established there, he founded a weekly newspaper in 1946 called the Tabor City Tribune.
In the July 26, 1950, issue of The Tribune, Carter wrote "An Editorial: No Excuse for KKK" in response to a July 22 parade by a Klan group through Tabor City, taking a strong stance against the Ku Klux Klan as an example of "outside-the-law operations that lead to dictatorships through fear and insecurity" and calling the group "the personification of Fascism
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
and Nazism
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
". The editorial was the first of more than 100 such newspaper pieces that Carter wrote in the three succeeding years expressing his fierce opposition to the Klan and its methods, providing details of rallies and Klan violence. The KKK didn't appreciate Carter's actions, and Thomas Hamilton, Grand Dragon of the Association of Carolina Klans, threatened his paper and its advertisers. Though he found some support in the local community, Carter's views were largely rejected by the community at large, leaving him and his family isolated.
Carter's reporting led to the involvement of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
into the local Klan, leading to the convictions on federal and state charges of many of its members, including Grand Dragon, Thomas Hamilton. Along with Willard Cole of the Whiteville News Reporter
The News Reporter
The News Reporter is a broadsheet semi-weekly newspaper based in Whiteville, North Carolina. The paper was founded in 1896 and serves Columbus County, North Carolina, United States...
, Carter was awarded the 1953 Pulitzer Prize for Meritorious Public Service in recognition of "their successful campaign against the Ku Klux Klan, waged on their own doorstep at the risk of economic loss and personal danger, culminating in the conviction of over one hundred Klansmen and an end to terrorism in their communities."
Personal
After retiring in the 1970s from the newspaper business, Carter moved to Cross Creek, FloridaCross Creek, Florida
Cross Creek is an unincorporated community in Alachua County, Florida, United States. It is located on Cross Creek, a short stream connecting Orange Lake and Lochloosa Lake.-Geography:Cross Creek is located at .-History:...
. After a few decades of fishing and writing about the outdoors, Carter returned to Tabor City and returned to The Tribune.
The newspaper is still in circulation today, now called "The Tabor-Loris Tribune," and is owned and operated by parent company Atlantic Packaging Corporation. Atlantic Packaging is also an independent packaging distribution and paper converting company with locations across the Southeast. Carter worked in the newspaper division of Atlantic in Tabor City, N.C., writing his weekly editorials, until a week before his death.
Carter died at age 88 on September 16, 2009, of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
while being transported to his Tabor City home from the New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, N.C. He was survived by his third wife, the former Linda Duncan, his son Rusty Carter, current owner of Atlantic Packaging Corp, (www.atlanticpkg.com), along with two daughters Linda Metzger, Velda Kay Hughes, as well as 10 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. His first wife, Lucille, died of cancer in 1982, and his second marriage was ended by divorce.
External links
- http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1004013638