Jerry W. Carter, was born in 1908. Carter attended the University of Florida, earning a BA in 1932. Under J.R. Kantor, Carter earned an MA in 1934 and a PhD in 1938. In 1937 he became the senior clinical psychologist in the psychology clinic of the Department of Nervous and Mental Diseases at Riley Hospital, part of the Indiana University Medical Center in Indianapolis, as well as a consulting clinical psychologist for the Indianapolis Public Schools.
After a period as director of the Wichita Guidance Center from 1940-1945, Carter accepted a position at the National Institute of Mental Health. From 1946 to 1949 he held a position in the Veterans Administration in Washington, D.C. In 1949 Carter became a senior scientist and director there. He was the author and implementer of President John F. Kennedy's National Mental Health Program. In 1955 Carter was promoted to scientific director of the United States Public Health Service.
Carter's research led to his 1968 book Research Contributions from Psychology to Community Mental Health . In 1968 he was presented with the APA Division 12 Distinguished Award for Profession of Clinical Psychology and the APA Division 18 (Psychologists in Public Service) Harold M. Hildreth Award for Distinguished Public Service in 1970. Carter was also a fellow of the APA as well as the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
From the guide to the Jerry W. Carter, Jr. papers, 1952-1968, (Center for the History of Psychology)
