Russell Gordon Carter (January 1, 1892 – May 9, 1957) was an American writer of more than fifty books and short stories,[1] primarily for young people.
Personal
Carter was born in
Trenton, New Jersey on January 1, 1892, the son of John Rogers and Alice (Hughes) Carter. He worked his way through
Harvard, and graduated in 1916. In 1917 he married
Wellesley graduate Florence Diehl.
That same year he sailed to France with the
American Expeditionary Forces in
World War I. He was promoted twice, ending the war as a
first lieutenant. He served thirteen months in France, taking part in the battles of Aisne-Marne, the Oise-Aisne, and the
Meuse-Argonne offensive. He was awarded the
Silver Star "for "gallantry in action."[1][2]
Russell and Florence Carter had two daughters: Virginia (b.1923) Catherine (b.1930). Carter died on May 9, 1957, in Boston, Massachusetts.
Work
After leaving the military in 1919, Carter took a job as a
reader with the
magazineThe Youth's Companion in
Boston, Massachusetts, for which he also wrote numerous stories. During this period he also wrote books such as the "Bob Hanson" series, for example Bob Hanson, Tenderfoot in 1921 (with R. H Bowles).[3] In 1925, following the demise of the magazine, he became a full-time
freelance writer.
Carter received several awards for his writing. Three Points of Honor (1929) won a prize from
Little, Brown and Company and Boys' Life Magazine for the "best story based on the Boy Scout Oath."[1]Shaggy, the Horse from Wyoming (1939) was awarded a prize from the Julia Ellsworth Ford Foundation for "The Encouragement of Juvenile Literature in America."[2]
In addition to fiction, he was the author of a unit history in World War I: The 101st Field Artillery, written in 1940. This was rated as "one of the three best unit histories of the First World War" by the
Infantry Journal.
Shaggy, the Horse from Wyoming (1939), E. R. Bradley, ill.
Teen-Age Historical Stories (1948)
Teen-Age Animal stories (1949)
Other books
Good luck, lieutenant! (1932)
The 101st field artillery, A. E. F., 1917-1919 (1940)
Mr. Whatley enjoys himself (1954)
Short stories
Carter wrote a number of short stories that appeared in "magazines such as Story Parade, Boys' Life, [and] St. Nicholas." "Beneath the Saddle" and "Old Sly Eye" were reprinted in school readers. The books Teen-age Historical Storie andTeen-age Animal Stories consisted of previously published stories.[2]