William George Carr (1901 – March 1, 1996) was an educator and author who is most known for being the Executive Secretary (chief administrator) of the

National Education Association The National Education Association (NEA) is the largest labor union in the United States. It represents public school teachers and other support personnel, faculty and staffers at colleges and universities, retired educators, and college stude ...

from 1952 to 1967. He was the teaching consultant for the U.S. delegation to the charter meetings for the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

and

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

in 1945 and 1946. He also served as General Secretary and President of the

World Confederation of Organizations of the Teaching Profession In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...

from 1946 to 1972.

Early life

Carr was born in

Northampton, England Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...

, to Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Sutton Carr. While he was a child, the family immigrated to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

in 1906. They lived in

Red Deer, Alberta Red Deer is a city in Alberta, Canada, located midway on the Calgary–Edmonton Corridor. Red Deer serves central Alberta, and key industries include health care, retail trade, construction, oil and gas, hospitality, manufacturing and education. ...

where he remembered how cold the winters could get. The family moved again, this time to

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

when his father (a cabinet maker) became a consultant to the movie industry on authentic period furniture.

Education and early career

He graduated with his

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

University of California at Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a Normal school, teachers colle ...

. While at UCLA he was president of Delta Sigma Chi local fraternity and oversaw it becoming a chapter of

Sigma Pi Sigma Pi () is a collegiate fraternity with 233 chapters at American universities. As of 2021, the fraternity had more than 5,000 undergraduate members and over 110,000 alumni. Sigma Pi headquarters are in Nashville, Tennessee. The fraternity ...

fraternity. He was also a member of the varsity

debating Debate is a process that involves formal discourse on a particular topic, often including a Discussion moderator, moderator and audience. In a debate, arguments are put forward for often opposing viewpoints. Debates have historically occurred ...

team and

track Track or Tracks may refer to: Routes or imprints * Ancient trackway, any track or trail whose origin is lost in antiquity * Animal track, imprints left on surfaces that an animal walks across * Desire path, a line worn by people taking the shorte ...

team. After attaining his bachelor's degree he married Elizabeth Vaughan, of Los Angeles in September 1924. Upon graduation, Carr taught at the Roosevelt Junior High School in

Glendale, California Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains regions of Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census the population was 196,543, up from ...

in 1924. At the same time he began working on his

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

which he attained from

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

in 1926. He then became the Head of the Education Department at

Pacific University Pacific University is a private university in Forest Grove, Oregon. Founded in 1849 as the Tualatin Academy, the original Forest Grove campus is west of Portland. The university maintains three other campuses in Eugene, Hillsboro, and Wood ...

for a year. In 1927, he took a position as Research Director for the

California Teachers Association The California Teachers Association (CTA), initially established in 1863, is one of the largest and most powerful teachers' unions in the state with over 300,000 members and a high political profile in California politics. The teachers' union is ba ...

and began working on his

Ph.D A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common Academic degree, degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields ...

from Stanford. He earned his Ph.D. in 1929 where his dissertation was a biography of John Swett.

NEA and professional life

In 1929, Carr moved to

Washington D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...

to become the Assistant Research Director for the

. He was named Research Director for the group in 1931. In 1940 he was appointed to the role of Associate Secretary and Secretary of the Policies Commission for the NEA and the AUSA. In 1945, he attended the charter meetings for the

and

as a teaching consultant for the official delegation of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. He served as the deputy to the chairperson and consultant on the committee responsible for writing the charter that created each organization. In 1946, he was named General Secretary of the

(WCOTP) and became a consultant for UNESCO. He later worked to help write an early draft of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. His view in the 1940s was that the United States needed to end its isolationist tendencies by teaching that the country "is now and forever bound up in the affairs of the world." On January 26, 1952, the NEA announced that Carr would be its new Executive Secretary, effective August 1, 1952. During his tenure, he became an increasingly powerful voice on education policy and pushed for increased Federal aid and other benefits to education. He also advocated for "systematic education for home and family life," in which he proposed that schools adopt a curriculum to turn out more efficient consumers. Carr was a member of the American-Korean Mission to aid in rebuilding the educational system of South Korea at the end of the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

in 1953. In 1962, he met with President

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination i ...

and Commissioner of Education

Sterling McMurrin Sterling Moss McMurrin (January 12, 1914 – April 6, 1996) was a liberal Mormon theologian and Philosophy professor at the University of Utah. He served as United States Commissioner of Education in the administration of President John F. Kenned ...

to discuss education policy. In 1966, Carr oversaw the merger of the NEA with the

American Teachers Association The American Teachers Association (1937-1966), formerly National Colored Teachers Association (1906–1907) and National Association of Teachers in Colored Schools (1907–1937), was a professional association and teachers' union representing tea ...

. During his time at the NEA he was awarded the many honorary degrees including:

LL.D. Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the early ...

degree, honoris causa, by

Miami University Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public research university in Oxford, Ohio. The university was founded in 1809, making it the second-oldest university in Ohio (behind Ohio University, founded in 1804) and the 10 ...

in 1953; the

L.H.D. The degree of Doctor of Humane Letters (; DHumLitt; DHL; or LHD) is an honorary degree awarded to those who have distinguished themselves through humanitarian and philanthropic contributions to society. The criteria for awarding the degree differ ...

degree honoris causa, by

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 ...

in 1954 and by

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...

in 1957. Carr was against the use of strikes by the NEA. He warned that strikes would destroy the public's trust in teachers. After he retired in 1967 the NEA began giving its full backing to affiliates who went on strike.

Retirement

After retiring from the NEA, Carr became president of the

Council on International Nontheatrical Events A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/ shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or nati ...

. The council is a clearinghouse for American-made nontheatrical films and videos for international film festivals. He stepped down from his role with the WCOTP in 1972. He was also a member of the U.S. Commission on the Bicentennial of the Constitution and a member of the

Cosmos Club The Cosmos Club is a 501(c)(7) private social club in Washington, D.C. that was founded by John Wesley Powell in 1878 as a gentlemen's club for those interested in science. Among its stated goals is, "The advancement of its members in science, ...

. In 1983, his wife Elizabeth died. He moved to

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

in 1994. He died in

hospice Hospice care is a type of health care that focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill patient's pain and symptoms and attending to their emotional and spiritual needs at the end of life. Hospice care prioritizes comfort and quality of life by ...

care there in 1996. He was survived by one son, Wilfred James Carr, and three grandsons.

Published books

*''Education for World Citizenship'' – 1928 *''International Frontiers in Education'' – 1944 *''Education In A Changing Society'' – 1963 *''The Continuing Education of William Carr. An Autobiography.'' - 1978 *''Collecting My Thoughts'' - 1980 *''The Oldest Delegate -- Franklin in the Constitutional Convention.'' – 1990

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carr, William George 1901 births 1996 deaths 20th-century American educators University of California, Los Angeles alumni Stanford University alumni English emigrants to Canada English emigrants to the United States People from Northampton Pacific University faculty