John Cater (geographer)

He was born in Northampton, England on 3 February 1953, the eldest of four children. His paternal grandfather was a tied railwayman and his maternal grandparents were travellers and smallholders. He was brought up in Towcester, Northamptonshire, and has described himself as 'that year's kid from the council estate to go to grammar school'. ==Early career==

He completed a BA (Honours) degree in Geography at the University of Wales (Lampeter) in 1974, joining Liverpool Polytechnic (now Liverpool John Moores University) as a Research Assistant on graduating, subsequently holding Lecturer and Research Fellow posts at the same institution, working on Social Science Research Council and Community Relations Council research projects on black and Asian segregation, housing and business development. He has published a range of articles and book chapters on the above, and jointly authored a text on Social Geography with Trevor Jones. ==Edge Hill University==

After a brief spell in a policy unit in London, Cater joined Edge Hill University in 1979, where he remained for 42 years before retiring in January 2025. Initially appointed to a lecturing post in Geography, he became Head of Urban Policy and Race Relations in 1983 and sub-Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, Environmental and Social Sciences in 1986. He took institution-wide responsibility for Policy, Planning and Development in 1990 and was appointed Director of Resources in 1992. In June 1993 he succeeded Ruth Gee as Director and Chief executive. He was also appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of Lancashire in 2019. Cater's paper 'Whither teacher education and training?' was published by the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) in April 2017. Cater retired as Vice-Chancellor on 31 January 2025. His successor has yet to be appointed. ==References==