Helen Strong Carter (1866–1945) was

First Lady First lady is an unofficial title usually used for the wife, and occasionally used for the daughter or other female relative, of a non-monarchical A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state fo ...

of the Territory of Hawaii from 1903 to 1907. Her philanthropic activities included the establishment of the Strong-Carter Dental Clinic at Palama Settlement in Hawaii, and the Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, New York.

Personal life

She was born in Rochester, New York, on March 11, 1866, to the co-founder and first president of

Eastman Kodak The Eastman Kodak Company (referred to simply as Kodak ) is an American public company that produces various products related to its historic basis in analogue photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorpor ...

Henry A. Strong Henry Alvah Strong (August 30, 1838 – July 26, 1919) was an American photography businessman. He was the first president of the Eastman Kodak Company. Early life and family Henry Strong was born on August 30, 1838 in Rochester, New York. He g ...

(1838–1919) and his first wife Helen Phoebe Griffin (1839–1904). The family had one daughter besides Helen, Gertrude Strong Achilles, and two sons Henry Griffin Strong and Herbert Strong who died in infancy. On April 19, 1892, she married

George R. Carter George Robert Carter (December 28, 1866 – February 11, 1933) was the second Territorial Governor of Hawaii, serving from 1903 to 1907. Early life Carter was born December 28, 1866, in Honolulu. His mother was Sybil Augusta Judd (1843–1906), ...

in Rochester, the son of Hawaii diplomat

Henry A. P. Carter Henry Alpheus Peirce Carter, also known as Henry Augustus Peirce Carter (August 7, 1837 – November 1, 1891), was an American businessman, politician, and diplomat in the Kingdom of Hawaii. Family life Henry Alpheus Peirce Carter was born Au ...

. The couple returned to live in Hawaii in 1893, and had three daughters and one son: Elizabeth, Phoebe, another daughter who died in 1903, and George Robert Jr. Her husband was appointed the second Territorial Governor of Hawaii for the term November 23, 1903 – August 15, 1907. Governor Carter died in 1933, and Helen remarried to Jean de Saint Cyr in April 1939. They divorced in 1940, and she resumed using the Carter name.

Philanthropies

The dental hygiene program at the University of Hawaii, and the Honolulu Dental Infirmary, with her husband George as president, were established with endowments from Helen in memory of her parents. Both Helen and her husband served on the board of directors. In addition to providing dental care and dental hygiene education to the public, the School of Dental Hygiene was established to train young women for careers as dental hygienists. The school was opened in 1920 at Palama Settlement in the Kalihi area, and the first year focused on 1st- and 2nd-grade students. The first meeting of the board of directors in July 1921 reported that, with the clinic only open one day a week with a hygienist and dentist, they had treated 1168 patients. The clinic was later renamed as the Strong-Carter Dental Clinic. On the 20th anniversary of the clinic, her generosity in establishing the clinic was honored by 20,000 children at

Honolulu Stadium Honolulu Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium located in the Moiliili district of Honolulu, Hawai'i, at the corner of King and Isenberg Streets. Opened in 1926, it was the primary sports venue in Hawaii preceding Aloha Stadium. During its final y ...

. The festivities included a performance by the

Royal Hawaiian Band The Royal Hawaiian Band is the oldest and only full-time municipal band in the United States. At present a body of the City & County of Honolulu, the Royal Hawaiian Band has been entertaining Honolulu residents and visitors since its inception i ...

and the President William McKinley High School Reserve Officers' Training Corps. In 1922, Helen and her sister Gertrude were the only two members of their immediate family remaining when they honored their parents with a $1,000,000 donation towards the building fund for the Strong Memorial Hospital at the University of Rochester in New York. Their donation was part of a total of $15,091,671 in individual gifts for the construction.

Death

Helen Strong Carter died in California on May 28, 1945.

Bibliography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Carter, Helen Strong 1866 births 1945 deaths First ladies of the Territory of Hawaii Thomas Carter family