John Franklin Carter a.k.a. Jay Franklin a.k.a. Diplomat a.k.a. Unofficial Observer (1897–1967) was an American journalist, columnist, biographer and novelist. He notably wrote the syndicated column, "We the People", under his pen name Jay Franklin. He wrote over 30 books on a variety of subjects, including his detective novels about the character Dennis Tyler. In his column, he was one of the few who predicted Truman's victory in the

1948 presidential election The following elections occurred in the year 1948. Africa * 1948 Mauritian general election * 1948 South African general election * 1948 Southern Rhodesian general election Asia * 1948 North Korean parliamentary election * 1948 Republic of China ...

Biography

Carter was born in Fall River, Massachusetts on April 27, 1897, as one of seven children of The Rev. John Franklin Carter. He attended

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

, where he served as chairman of campus humor magazine '' The Yale Record'' He left Yale early to serve as a representative of the Williamstown Institute of Politics in Italy. Afterwards, he became the

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

correspondent for the '' London Daily Chronicle'' and the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

''. In 1928, Carter began working for the

State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government responsible for the country's fore ...

as an economic specialist. He then became a correspondent for the magazines ''

Liberty Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom. In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...

'' and '' Vanity Fair''. In 1941, Carter was appointed by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to conduct investigation into the loyalty of Japanese American communities on the West Coast of the United States. Carter hired Curtis B. Munson to compile the Report on Japanese on the West Coast of the United States. He wrote the syndicated column, "We, The People" from 1936 to 1948 under his pen name "Jay Franklin". It chronicled the

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

and Truman Administrations. In 1948, Carter worked as a speech writer for

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...

. Carter died in

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, ...

, on November 28, 1967, at the age of 70. His books ''The New Dealers'' (1934) and ''American Messiahs'' (1935) remain valuable sources for historians of the New Deal era.

Works

Detective novels written as "Diplomat" * ''Murder in the Embassy'' (1930) * ''Murder in the State Department'' (1930) * ''Scandal in the Chancery'' (1931) * ''The Corpse on the White House Lawn'' (1932) * ''Death in the Senate'' (1933) * ''Slow Death at Geneva'' (1934) * ''The Brain Trust Murder'' (1935) Partial list of other novels * ''

The Rat Race ''The Rat Race'' is a 1960 American drama film adapted from the play of the same name by Garson Kanin. Directed by Robert Mulligan, it stars Tony Curtis and Debbie Reynolds as struggling young entertainment professionals in New York City. Film ...

'' (1950) * ''Champagne Charlie'' (1950) Political Narrative written as "Unofficial Observer" * ''The New Dealers'' (1934) * ''American Messiahs'' (1935) Non-fiction *
Remaking America
'. Boston,

Houghton Mifflin Company Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (; HMH) is an American publisher of textbooks, instructional technology materials, assessments, reference works, and fiction and non-fiction for both young readers and adults. The company is based in the Boston Financ ...

, 1942. Also available fro
Hathi Trust

References

* * * *Simkin, John

'' Spartacus Educational''. Retrieved 2018-06-06. * For more on Carter's role in war-time intelligence, see *

External links

John Franklin Carter papers
at the

University of Wyoming The University of Wyoming (UW) is a public land-grant research university in Laramie, Wyoming. It was founded in March 1886, four years before the territory was admitted as the 44th state, and opened in September 1887. The University of Wyoming ...

- American Heritage Center
John Franklin Carter correspondence
at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY and online via U.S. Archives * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Carter, John Franklin 1897 births 1967 deaths 20th-century American novelists American male biographers American columnists American fantasy writers American male novelists American mystery writers American science fiction writers People from Fall River, Massachusetts Novelists from Massachusetts 20th-century American biographers 20th-century American male writers