John Carter (ambassador)

Sir John Carter (27 January 1919 – 23 February 2005) was a Guyanese politician, lawyer and diplomat.

John Carter
Guyanese Ambassador to the United States
In office July 18, 1966 – July 11, 1970
Succeeded by	Rahman Baccus Gajraj
Guyanese High Commissioner to the United Kingdom
In office 1970 – 1975
Guyanese Ambassador to China
In office 1976 – 1979
Preceded by	David Arthur Singh
Succeeded by	Cecil Pollydore
Guyanese High Commissioner to Jamaica
In office 1981 – 1983
Personal details
Born	(1919-01-27)27 January 1919 Cane Grove Village on the East Coast of Demerara.
Died	23 February 2005(2005-02-23) (aged 86) Suburban Hospital, Bethesda, Maryland
Spouse(s)	Lady Sarah Lou Harris Carter
Children	4
Education	London University

Career

From 1939 to 1945, during the second world war, he studied and taught law in London and his legal expertise became invaluable on numerous discrimination cases to the League of Coloured Peoples. In 1944, he became involved in a case of an African-American soldier serving in Britain who had been condemned to death for rape by a US military court. In the end, the sentence was commuted.

In 1945 he returned to Guyana and established a law practice. To his mandatories belonged Forbes Burnham and Desmond Hoyte. In 1948 he became the youngest member of the colony's legislative council.

In 1952, he founded the United Democratic Party; in 1957 Forbes Burnham convinced him to become the first chairman of the People's National Congress.

In 1962 he became a Queens Counsel; he was knighted four years later. On 28 June 1966, he was appointed the first ambassador to Washington, D. C. where he was accredited from July 18, 1966 till July 11, 1970 and was concurrently accredited to the United Nations and was high commissioner in Ottawa (Canada). From 1970 to 1976 he was high commissioner in London, and was concurrently accredited in Paris (France), Bonn (West Germany), Moscow (Soviet Union) and Belgrade (Yugoslavia). While he was high commissioner in London, the government of Forbes Burnham nationalised a sugar company from Booker Group.[1] From 1976 to 1979 he was ambassador in Beijing with accreditation in Tokyo and Pyongyang (North Korea).[2] From 1981 till his retirement in 1983 he was High commissioner (Commonwealth) in Kingston, Jamaica.

In 1983 he settled with his with his second wife, Sara Lou, in Washington, D.C..[3]

References

1. Tracy J. Prince, Culture Wars in British Literature: Multiculturalism and National Identity, p. 146
2. Jet, November 29, 1979,
3. Guyana Graphic, 1 June 2012, ,The Guardian, obituary, edited by Lawrence Goldman, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography 2005–2008 p. 192 f.