John Franklin Carter

John Franklin Carter aka Jay Franklin aka Diplomat aka 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 notably one of the few who predicted Truman's victory in the 1948 presidential election.

Biography

Carter was born in Fall River, Massachusetts on April 27, 1897 as one of seven children of Rev. John Franklin Carter. He attended Yale University, where he served as chairman of campus humor magazine The Yale Record^[1]

He left Yale early to serve as a representative of the Williamstown Institute of Politics in Italy. Afterwards, he became the Rome correspondent for the London Daily Chronicle and the New York Times.

In 1928, Carter began working for the State Department as an economic specialist.

He then became a correspondent for the magazines Liberty and Vanity Fair.

He wrote the syndicated column, "We, The People" from 1936 to 1948 under his pen name "Jay Franklin". It chronicled the Franklin D. Roosevelt and Truman Administrations.

In 1948, Carter worked as a speech writer for Harry S. Truman.

Carter died in Washington, D.C., on November 28, 1967 at the age of 70. His books "The New Dealers" (1934) and "American Messiahs" (1935) remain valuable sources for historians of the New Deal era.

Works

Detective novels written as "Diplomat"

• Murder in the Embassy (1930)
• Murder in the State Department (1930)
• Scandal in the Chancery (1931)
• The Corpse on the White House Lawn (1932)
• Death in the Senate (1933)
• Slow Death at Geneva (1934)
• The Brain Trust Murder (1935)

Partial list of other novels

• The Rat Race (1950)
• Champagne Charlie (1950)

Political Narrative written as "Unofficial Observer"

• "The New Dealers" (1934)
• "American Messiahs" (1935)

References

1. ↑ Wilder, Thornton N., Stephen Vincent Benet, John Franklin Carter, Jr. et al., ed. (April, 1918) "Memorabilia Yalensia". The Yale Literary Magazine. New Haven: Yale Lit. p. 355.

• "John Franklin Carter, 70, Dies; Wrote Column as Jay Franklin; Friend of a President". The New York Times. 1967-11-29. p. 47. Retrieved 2008-04-30. (subscription required)
• "Milestones: Dec. 8, 1967". Time. 1967-12-08. Retrieved 2008-04-30. (subscription required)
• Ginny Kilander (March 2005). "University of Wyoming American Heritage Center Guide to Journalism Resources" (PDF). p. 15. Retrieved 2008-04-30. 
• Tuck, Donald H. (1978). The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy. Chicago: Advent. p. 362. ISBN 0-911682-22-8. 

For more on Carter's role in war-time intelligence, see

• Mauch, Christof (2005). The Shadow War Against Hitler: The Covert Operations of America's Wartime Secret Intelligence Service. New York: Columbia University Press. pp. 48–51. 

External links

• John Franklin Carter papers at the University of Wyoming - American Heritage Center