Eugene Roy Cater (December 8, 1923January 15, 1990) was a

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

politician.

Early life and education

Cater was born on December 8, 1923, in

St. Joseph, Missouri St. Joseph is a city in and the county seat of Buchanan County, Missouri. Small parts of St. Joseph extend into Andrew County. Located on the Missouri River, it is the principal city of the St. Joseph Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includ ...

. Cater was of

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...

ancestry. Cater was a graduate of Ludington High School.

Military career

Cater served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. Cater then served as a

United States Coast Guard Auxiliary The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary (USCGA, USCGAUX, CGAux, or USCG Aux) is the civilian uniformed volunteer component of the United States Coast Guard. Congress established the unit on 23 June 1939, as the United States Coast Guard Reserve ...

. Cater was a member of the National Order of the Trench Rats and the

Disabled American Veterans The Disabled American Veterans (DAV) is an organization created in 1920 by World War I veterans for disabled military veterans of the United States Armed Forces that helps them and their families through various means. It was issued a federal ch ...

Career

Cater owned and operated a laundry in Ludington, Michigan. On November 4, 1964, Cater was elected to the

Michigan House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2010 ...

, where he represented the 98th district from January 1, 1965, to January 1, 1967. In May 1965, Cater, along with Republican

Stanley M. Powell Stanley M. Powell was a Republican member of the Michigan House of Representatives and a delegate to the Michigan constitutional convention of 1962. Early life Born on July 7, 1898, to Herbert and Alice Powell in Ionia, Stanley was a lifelong ...

, introduced House Bill 2297, which sought to make the Petoskey stone Michigan's

state stone Leaders of states in the U.S. which have significant mineral deposits often create a state mineral, rock, stone or gemstone to promote interest in their natural resources, history, tourism, etc. Not every state has an official state mineral, rock, ...

. The bill was passed by the state house on May 19, 1965. On June 28, 1965, the bill was signed by Michigan Governor

George W. Romney George Wilcken Romney (July 8, 1907 – July 26, 1995) was an American businessman and politician. A member of the Republican Party, he served as chairman and president of American Motors Corporation from 1954 to 1962, the 43rd gover ...

during a ceremony which was attended by Cater and Powell. During the ceremony, Cater presented Governor Romney with a tie clasp and cufflink set made of Petoskey stones. In 1975, Cater moved from Ludington to

Palmetto, Florida Palmetto is a city in Manatee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was listed as 13,323. It is part of the Bradenton-Sarasota-Venice, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. History A post office called Palmetto h ...

Personal life

In 1948, Cater married Donna Mae Fenner. Together, they had one child. Cater later married Leota, and had three stepchildren. Cater was a member of the

Elks The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE; also often known as the Elks Lodge or simply The Elks) is an American fraternal order founded in 1868, originally as a social club in New York City. History The Elks began in 1868 as a soc ...

, the

Fraternal Order of Eagles Fraternal Order of Eagles (F.O.E.) is a fraternal organization that was founded on February 6, 1898, in Seattle, Washington, by a group of six theater owners including John Cort (the first president), brothers John W. and Tim J. Considine, Harry ...

, and the American Legion. Cater was also a Freemason. Cater was

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

Death

Cater died on January 15, 1990, in

Manatee Memorial Hospital Manatee Memorial Hospital (MMH) is a private 319-bed health care facility located in Bradenton, Florida. History Manatee Memorial Hospital was first proposed in 1939 by the Bradenton Women's Club and other prominent members of the community. It ...

Bradenton, Florida Bradenton ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Manatee County, Florida, Manatee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the city's population is 55,698. History Late 18th and early 19th centuries ...

. He was interred at Lakeview Cemetery in Ludington, Michigan.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cater, Eugene R. 1923 births 1990 deaths American Freemasons American Lutherans American people of Danish descent Burials in Michigan Democratic Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives Military personnel from Michigan People from Ludington, Michigan People from Palmetto, Florida Politicians from St. Joseph, Missouri United States Army personnel of World War II 20th-century American legislators 20th-century Lutherans 20th-century Michigan politicians United States Coast Guard auxiliarists