Carter was born in
Hamilton, Ontario in 1906. She contracted
polio at home as a child, losing the use of her legs for life despite therapy and the care of her physician father. In 1929, she completed her B.A. in history at the
University of Toronto. In 1931, she received a second B.A. from
Somerville College, Oxford. At Oxford, she served as ceremonial "mayoress" for a day (her uncle was the
Mayor at the time) and had a photograph taken as a
memento (See image at right). She returned to her hometown to teach at
McMaster University until 1935. Carter moved to the
United States to undertake graduate study at
Radcliffe College, where she completed her M.A. (1936) and Ph.D. (1938) in
political science. From 1943 to 1964, she taught political science at
Smith College, holding the
Sophia Smith chair there from 1961. From 1944 to 1945, she was an Office of Strategic Services (OSS) Research & Analysis Branch (R&A) analyst. In 1948, she became a
Naturalized US citizen. From 1964 to 1974, she was
Melville J. Herskovits Professor of African Affairs at
Northwestern University. In 1965, she was elected a Fellow of the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences. From 1974 to 1984, Carter taught at
Indiana University. From 1984 to 1987, when she retired, she taught at the
University of Florida. Through many years of her professional life, she maintained personal correspondence with leading figures such as
Julius Nyerere,
Seretse Khama,
Gatsha Buthelezi,
Steve Biko, and
Helen Joseph. She was 84 years old when she died at her home in
Orange City, Florida on February 20, 1991. == Scholarship ==