John Franklin Carter | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1897-04-27)April 27, 1897 |
| Died | November 28, 1967(1967-11-28) (aged 70) Washington, D.C. United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Jay Franklin Diplomat Unofficial Observer |
| Education | Yale University |
| Occupations |
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| Employer(s) | London Daily Chronicle New York Times Liberty Vanity Fair Harry S. Truman |
| Known for | We The People (1936–1948) |
| Parent | Rev. John Franklin Carter |
John Franklin Carter a.k.a.Jay Franklin a.k.a.Diplomat a.k.a.Unofficial Observer (1897–1967) was an American journalist, columnist, biographer and novelist. He notably wrote the syndicated column, "We the People", under his pen name Jay Franklin. He wrote over 30 books on a variety of subjects, including his detective novels about the character Dennis Tyler. In his column, he was one of the few who predictedTruman's victory in the1948 presidential election.
Carter was born inFall River, Massachusetts on April 27, 1897, as one of seven children of The Rev. John Franklin Carter. He attendedYale University, where he served as chairman of campus humor magazineThe Yale Record[1]
He left Yale early to serve as a representative of the Williamstown Institute of Politics in Italy. Afterwards, he became theRome correspondent for theLondon Daily Chronicle and theNew York Times.
In 1928, Carter began working for theState Department as an economic specialist.
In 1935, he was hired byRexford Tugwell as information chief for the newly createdResettlement Administration.[2] The documentary filmmakerPare Lorentz worked under his supervision.[3]
Carter then became a correspondent for the magazinesLiberty andVanity Fair.
In 1941, Carter was appointed byPresident Franklin Delano Roosevelt to conduct investigation into the loyalty of Japanese American communities on the West Coast of the United States. Carter hiredCurtis B. Munson to compile theReport on Japanese on the West Coast of the United States.[4] Carter incompletely summarized Muson's report and sent it toPresident Franklin Delano Roosevelt on November 7, 1941, around two months before the full report reached FDR's desk on January 9, 1942. The summarized version focused on the disloyalty of Japanese Americans and inaccurately represented the full report.[5][6]
He wrote the syndicated column, "We, The People" from 1936 to 1948 under his pen name "Jay Franklin". It chronicled theFranklin D. Roosevelt andTruman Administrations.
In 1948, Carter worked as a speech writer forHarry S. Truman.
Carter died inWashington, D.C., on November 28, 1967, at the age of 70. His booksThe New Dealers (1934) andAmerican Messiahs (1935) remain valuable sources for historians of the New Deal era.
Detective novels written as "Diplomat"
Partial list of other novels
Political Narrative written as "Unofficial Observer"
Non-fiction
For more on Carter's role in war-time intelligence, see
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