Download our Logo
Vol. 30:4 ISSN 0160-8460 December 2002
Edward Carlos Carter II
Edward Carlos Carter II, the Librarian of the American Philosophical Society and adjunct professor of history at the University of Pennsylvania, died of a heart attack at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia on October 1, 2002. He was 74.
A native of Rochester, New York, Dr. Carter graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1954 and went on to receive a Ph.D. from Bryn Mawr College in 1962. He taught at Phillips Academy, the University of Delaware, St. Stephen's School in Rome, Johns Hopkins University, and Catholic University before taking up his appointment in 1980 as Librarian of the American Philosophical Society, the learned society founded by Benjamin Franklin. At that time, he also joined the faculty at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was an immensely popular teacher of undergraduate seminars.
Dr. Carter was responsible for an explosive growth of acquisitions of manuscripts and books related to the history of science in the American Philosophical Society Library. He also implemented a successful new program of Library Resident Fellowships, and was instrumental in bringing new technology and conservation techniques to the Library. During his tenure, use of the Library by the scholarly public more than doubled.
Dr. Carter published frequently on a wide array of historical subjects. His principal scholarly accomplishment was the publication of The Papers of Benjamin Henry Latrobe, a ten-volume edition of the writings of the early American architect and engineer, published by Yale University Press. He served as chairman of the Board of St. Stephen's School, president of the Independent Research Libraries Association, and member of the Board of the National Humanities Alliance, the Institute of Early American History and Culture, and the National Lewis and Clark Bicentennial. Among his numerous accolades, Dr. Carter was elected to membership in the American Philosophical Society and the American Antiquarian Society, and in 1995 the library at St. Stephen's School was named in his honor.
Memorial contributions may be sent to the Edward C. Carter II Library Fellowship Fund, American Philosophical Society Library, 105 S. Fifth St., Philadelphia, PA 19106, or to St. Stephen's School, 15 Gramercy Park South, New York, NY 10003.
