John R. Carter (diplomat)
John Ridgeley Carter | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Died | June 4, 1944 (aged 79) |
| Occupation(s) | Lawyer, diplomat, financier |
| Years active | 1889–1944 |
| Known for | U.S. Minister to Romania, Serbia, and Bulgaria; partner at Morgan & Cie |
John Ridgeley Carter (November 28, 1864 – June 4, 1944) was an American lawyer, diplomat, and financier.
Early life
Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Carter was one of fourteen siblings born to Mary Buckner (née Ridgely) Carter and Bernard Carter, a distinguished attorney and academic. His paternal lineage connected him to the prominent Carter and Lee families of Virginia, tracing ancestry to Henry Lee III, the ninth Governor of Virginia. His grandparents on his father's side were Charles Henry Carter and Rosalie Eugenia (née Calvert) Carter, linking him to George Calvert, 1st Baron Baltimore, the original proprietor of the Province of Maryland. Additionally, his aunt Alice Carter was married to Oden Bowie, the 34th Governor of Maryland.
Carter completed his undergraduate studies at Trinity College in Hartford in 1883 and earned a Master of Arts degree in 1885. He engaged in postgraduate education at the University of Leipzig before obtaining law degrees from Maryland University in 1887 and Harvard Law School in 1888. He was officially admitted to the Maryland bar in 1889.
Career
Carter's diplomatic tenure commenced in 1894 when he served as secretary to Thomas F. Bayard, then U.S. Ambassador to London. He was promoted to second secretary in 1896 and assumed the role of Chargé d'affaires in 1897, working under Ambassadors John Hay and Joseph Hodges Choate until 1905. Subsequently, he held the position of Secretary at the American Embassy in London under Ambassador Whitelaw Reid through 1909.
On September 25, 1909, he received his appointment as U.S. Minister to Bucharest, Romania, officially presenting his credentials on November 14, 1909, and serving until October 24, 1911. Simultaneously, he was accredited as U.S. Minister to Serbia and Bulgaria; however, he never formally presented credentials in Bulgaria.
In 1911, Carter declined the nomination as U.S. Minister to Argentina due to the absence of government-provided housing, which would have imposed a financial strain given his $12,000 annual salary. Reports indicated that his predecessor, Charles H. Sherrill, expended approximately $100,000 annually to fulfill the duties associated with that post.
Later career
Upon concluding his diplomatic service, Carter joined the Paris-based banking firm Morgan, Harjes & Co. in 1912 and became a partner by 1914. He acted as a representative for American investors involved in the Chilean-Argentine railway initiative in Santiago, Chile. Following the death of Henry Herman Harjes in 1926, Carter ascended to senior partner status and oversaw the firm's rebranding as Morgan & Cie.
In recognition of his efforts during World War I, France awarded him the rank of Grand Officer of the Légion d'honneur. After the German occupation of France in 1940, Carter relocated to New York City where he resided until his passing in 1944.
Personal life
In Washington, D.C., in 1887, Carter wed Alice Morgan (1865–1933), who was one of seven children born to banker David Pierce Morgan and Carolyn (née Fellowes) Morgan; she was also sister to William Fellowes Morgan Sr.. The couple had two children:
- Caroline Mildred Carter (1888–1965), who married Archibald, Viscount Acheson, later the 5th Earl of Gosford, in 1910.
- Bernard Shirley Carter (1893–1961), a notable banker with Morgan, Harjes & Co., who married Louise Hope Thacher.
Carter maintained memberships at New York's Knickerbocker Club and Washington D.C.'s Metropolitan Club.
His wife passed away at their residence near Paris in Senlis in 1933. John Ridgeley Carter died on June 4, 1944, at the Knickerbocker Club in New York City. His funeral service took place at St. Bartholomew's Church on Park Avenue.
Legacy
In 1901, the distinguished American painter John Singer Sargent created a portrait of Carter. Later, in May 1908, Sargent also completed a depiction of Carter's daughter Mildred while in London. This work was lauded by The New York Times for conveying her "natural sweetness" and grace, traits often linked to her father. The painting of John R. Carter was auctioned at Sotheby's in 2007, fetching a price of $1,833,000.