Matthew G. Carter (October 16, 1913 – March 14, 2012) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

who served as the

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

Montclair, New Jersey Montclair () is a township in Essex County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Situated on the cliffs of the Watchung Mountains, Montclair is a wealthy and diverse commuter town and suburb of New York City within the New York metropolitan area. As ...

from 1968 to 1972, becoming the first

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

to serve as Mayor of Montclair. Carter also served as the

chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

of the New Jersey State Commission on Civil Rights.

Biography

Carter was born in

Danville, Virginia Danville is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States, located in the Southside Virginia region and on the fall line of the Dan River. It was a center of tobacco production and was an area of Confederate activity ...

, on October 16, 1913, to Clarence and Henrietta Carter. He became the

of the Zion Baptist Church, located in

Petersburg, Virginia Petersburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 33,458. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines Petersburg (along with the city of Colonial Heights) with Din ...

. Carter received a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

from the

Virginia Union University Virginia Union University is a private historically black Baptist university in Richmond, Virginia. It is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA. History The American Baptist Home Mission Society (ABHMS) founded the school as Richm ...

in 1939, before completing his

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and divi ...

from Virginia Union University's School of Theology in 1942. Carter later completed additional graduate studies at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

and the Union Theological Seminary in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. Carter entered local politics in

in 1964, winning election to the Montclair Town Commission. He ran on the Montclair Community Committee slate and was the top vote-getter with 6,694 votes. Four of the five candidates on Carter's ticket won. He served as both the

Commissioner of Public Works The Walsh Act is a legislation in the U.S. state of New Jersey that permits municipalities to adopt a non-partisan commission form of government. The legislation was signed by Governor of New Jersey Woodrow Wilson on April 25, 1911. The commissi ...

and the

Vice Mayor The deputy mayor (also known as vice mayor, assistant mayor, or mayor ''pro tem'') is an elective or appointive office of the second-ranking official that is present in many, but not all, local governments. Duties and functions Many elected dep ...

of Montclair from 1964 to 1968. Carter also held a seat on the Montclair Township Commission. He was re-elected to the Township Commission in 1968, defeating eleven other candidates in the election. In 1971, Carter sought the Republican nomination for New Jersey State Senator, running At-Large in Essex County. His running mates were three incumbent Senators, Michael Giuliano,

James Wallwork James Harold Wallwork (born September 17, 1930) is an American Republican Party politician who served in both houses of the New Jersey Legislature and twice sought the Republican nomination for Governor. Early life and military career Wallwork ...

, and Milton Waldor, as well as North Caldwell Republican Chairman

Frederic Remington Frederic Sackrider Remington (October 4, 1861 – December 26, 1909) was an American painter, illustrator, sculptor, and writer who specialized in the genre of Western American Art. His works are known for depicting the Western United State ...

. Carter received 19,011 votes in the Republican primary, significantly more than his closest rival for the nomination, Donald Blasi of Newark, who received 3,557 votes. Carter lost the general election, finishing 8th in a field of 16 candidates for 5 seats. Giuliano and Wallwork won, along with Democrats

Ralph DeRose Ralph C. DeRose (September 7, 1928 – December 21, 2011) was an American Democratic Party official who served in the New Jersey Senate and twice sought the Democratic nomination for Governor of New Jersey. DeRose was elected to the state senat ...

of South Orange, Frank Dodd of West Orange, and Wynona Lipman of Montclair, the first African American woman to serve in the New Jersey Senate. Carter received 77,418 votes. Lipman, who came in fifth, received 85,644 votes. Carter was elected Mayor of Montclair by his colleagues on the Commission in 1968, the same year as his re-election. He served until 1972. Carter was a strong advocate of the expansion of

affordable housing Affordable housing is housing which is deemed affordable to those with a household income at or below the median as rated by the national government or a local government by a recognized housing affordability index. Most of the literature on affo ...

during his tenure. His advocacy and professional work in the field continued after leaving office. He established a

Fair Housing Housing discrimination in the United States refers to the historical and current barriers, policies, and biases that prevent equitable access to housing. Housing discrimination became more pronounced after the abolition of slavery in 1865, typical ...

local

ordinance Ordinance may refer to: Law * Ordinance (Belgium), a law adopted by the Brussels Parliament or the Common Community Commission * Ordinance (India), a temporary law promulgated by the President of India on recommendation of the Union Cabinet * ...

for Montclair, which stipulated that housing decisions should not be based on

national origin National origin is the nation where a person was born, or where that person's ancestors came from. It also includes the diaspora of multi-ethnic states and societies that have a shared sense of common identity identical to that of a nation while ...

or race. In 1979, Carter oversaw the opening of the Erie Lackawanna Apartments, a

low income housing Subsidized housing is government sponsored economic assistance aimed towards alleviating housing costs and expenses for impoverished people with low to moderate incomes. In the United States, subsidized housing is often called "affordable housin ...

complex spearheaded by local residents and the Union Baptist Church. The 126-unit

apartment complex An apartment (American English), or flat (British English, Indian English, South African English), is a self-contained housing unit (a type of residential real estate) that occupies part of a building, generally on a single story. There are ...

was subsidized with funding from the

United States Department of Housing and Urban Development The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It administers federal housing and urban development laws. It is headed by the Secretary of Housing and Urb ...

. In 1999, the apartments were remained the Matthew G. Carter Apartments to honor Carter for his contributions. Carter was appointed as the chairman of the New Jersey State Commission on

Civil Rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life of ...

, a statewide body. He went on to serve on the boards of many other organizations as well. Professionally, Carter also held positions as the

assistant director The role of an assistant director on a film includes tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, and maintaining order on the set. They also have to tak ...

of the

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...

publishing house Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...

, based in New York City, and the Department of Community Affairs of

Hoffmann-La Roche F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, commonly known as Roche, is a Swiss multinational healthcare company that operates worldwide under two divisions: Pharmaceuticals and Diagnostics. Its holding company, Roche Holding AG, has shares listed on the SIX ...

. Matthew Carter died of complications of

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegeneration, neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in short-term me ...

on March 14, 2012, at the age of 98. He was survived by his wife, Frances Hill Carter; two daughters, Bettye Carter Freeman and

Nanette Carter Nanette Carolyn Carter, born January 30, 1954, in Columbus, Ohio, is an African-American artist and college educator living and working in New York City, best known for her collages with paper, canvas and Mylar (archival plastic sheets). Daughte ...

; and three granddaughters. His daughter, Bettye Freeman, who was formerly a

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

assistant

attorney general In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

for

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life of ...

, is a

dean of students Dean is a title employed in academic administrations such as colleges or universities for a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, over a specific area of concern, or both. In the United States and Canada, deans are usua ...

Northeastern University School of Law Northeastern University School of Law (NUSL) is the law school of Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded as an evening program to meet the needs of its local community, NUSL is nationally recognized for its cooperative legal ed ...

, and married to artist, Robert T. Freeman.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carter, Matthew C. 1913 births 2012 deaths Mayors of Montclair, New Jersey American Christian clergy American housing activists American civil rights activists (civil rights movement) Virginia Union University alumni Politicians from Petersburg, Virginia Deaths from Alzheimer's disease Neurological disease deaths in the United States New Jersey Republicans Union Theological Seminary (New York City) alumni African-American mayors in New Jersey