Lisle Carter, Jr
Encyclopedia
Lisle C. Carter, Jr. a prominent administrator who worked for civic organizations, educational institutions and the federal government, was the first President of the University of the District of Columbia
(UDC).
Carter was born in New York City
and spent most of his childhood in Barbados
. His father, Lisle Carter, Sr., was a prominent Harlem
dentist, and his mother, Eunice Carter
, was the first black woman district attorney in the state of New York
. He graduated from Dartmouth College
in New Hampshire
, then served in the Army
for two years before receiving a law degree from St. John's University in New York.
Carter was Executive Director of the Washington Urban League in the mid-1950s, and later worked for the National Urban League
in New York. He entered government as a Deputy Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare under the Kennedy Administration. He later became an Assistant Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity
, and then became Assistant Secretary of HEW under the Johnson Administration, becoming one of the highest-ranking African Americans in that department before leaving in 1968.
He later became a Vice President at Cornell University
, and spent three years as Chancellor of the Atlanta University Center
, a consortium of historically black colleges in downtown Atlanta, before becoming President of UDC in 1977.
After leaving UDC, Carter returned to practice law in Washington. He retired in the early 1990s as general counsel of the United Way.
Carter was a past board chairman of the Children's Defense Fund
, a nonprofit child advocacy organization, and served on the board of the Kettering Foundation
, a science, education and international and urban affairs research foundation. He was a trustee for Georgetown University
, Dartmouth College, the Pension Rights Center and the Aspen Institute
.
Carter's first wife, Emily Ellis Carter, died in 1989. In 1991 he married art historian and author Jane Livingston. Mr. Carter had five children with his first wife, one of whom is author and Yale University
law professor Stephen L. Carter
.
University of the District of Columbia
The University of the District of Columbia is a historically black, public university located in Washington, D.C. UDC is one of only a few urban land-grant universities in the country and a member of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund...
(UDC).
Carter was born in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and spent most of his childhood in Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
. His father, Lisle Carter, Sr., was a prominent Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
dentist, and his mother, Eunice Carter
Eunice Carter
Eunice Roberta Hunton Carter broke down racial and gender barriers by becoming one of New York's first African American female lawyers, and then becoming one of the first district attorneys of color in the United States....
, was the first black woman district attorney in the state of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. He graduated from Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
in New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, then served in the Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
for two years before receiving a law degree from St. John's University in New York.
Carter was Executive Director of the Washington Urban League in the mid-1950s, and later worked for the National Urban League
National Urban League
The National Urban League , formerly known as the National League on Urban Conditions Among Negroes, is a nonpartisan civil rights organization based in New York City that advocates on behalf of African Americans and against racial discrimination in the United States. It is the oldest and largest...
in New York. He entered government as a Deputy Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare under the Kennedy Administration. He later became an Assistant Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity
Office of Economic Opportunity
The Office of Economic Opportunity was the agency responsible for administering most of the War on Poverty programs created as part of United States President Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society legislative agenda.- History :...
, and then became Assistant Secretary of HEW under the Johnson Administration, becoming one of the highest-ranking African Americans in that department before leaving in 1968.
He later became a Vice President at Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
, and spent three years as Chancellor of the Atlanta University Center
Atlanta University Center
The Atlanta University Center Consortium is the largest contiguous consortium of African Americans in higher education in the United States. The center consists of four historically black colleges and universities in southwest Atlanta, Georgia...
, a consortium of historically black colleges in downtown Atlanta, before becoming President of UDC in 1977.
After leaving UDC, Carter returned to practice law in Washington. He retired in the early 1990s as general counsel of the United Way.
Carter was a past board chairman of the Children's Defense Fund
Children's Defense Fund
The Children's Defense Fund is an American child advocacy and research group, founded in 1973 by Marian Wright Edelman. Its motto Leave No Child Behind reflects its mission to advocate on behalf of children...
, a nonprofit child advocacy organization, and served on the board of the Kettering Foundation
Kettering Foundation
The Kettering Foundation is an American non-partisan research foundation founded in 1927 by Charles F. Kettering. The foundation publishes books and periodicals, employs research fellows, and organizes public forums on policy in order to answer the question: "what does it take for democracy to...
, a science, education and international and urban affairs research foundation. He was a trustee for Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
, Dartmouth College, the Pension Rights Center and the Aspen Institute
Aspen Institute
The Aspen Institute is an international nonprofit organization founded in 1950 as the Aspen Institute of Humanistic Studies. The organization is dedicated to "fostering enlightened leadership, the appreciation of timeless ideas and values, and open-minded dialogue on contemporary issues." The...
.
Carter's first wife, Emily Ellis Carter, died in 1989. In 1991 he married art historian and author Jane Livingston. Mr. Carter had five children with his first wife, one of whom is author and Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
law professor Stephen L. Carter
Stephen L. Carter
Stephen L. Carter is an American law professor, legal- and social-policy writer, columnist, and best-selling novelist.-Education:...
.