W. Horace Carter facts for kids
Walter Horace Carter (born January 20, 1921 – died September 16, 2009) was an American newspaper publisher. He lived in Tabor City, North Carolina. His newspaper won a special award called the Pulitzer Prize in 1953. This award was for his brave reporting and strong opinions against the Ku Klux Klan, a group that caused fear and trouble. A movie called The Editor and the Dragon: Horace Carter Fights the Clan tells the story of his fight against this group.
Early Life and Learning
Horace Carter was born on January 20, 1921, in Albemarle, North Carolina. He was the first person in his family to finish high school. After that, he went to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. While at college, he worked as the editor of the student newspaper. He also served in the United States Navy during World War II. He was part of battles in the North Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.
The Tribune and the KKK
After serving in the military, Carter started working for a group of businesses in Tabor City, North Carolina. Using the connections he made, he started his own weekly newspaper in 1946. He called it the Tabor City Tribune.
On July 26, 1950, Carter wrote a very important article in The Tribune. It was titled "An Editorial: No Excuse for KKK." He wrote this after the Klan marched through Tabor City. He strongly spoke out against the Ku Klux Klan. He said they were like groups that create fear and lead to unfair rule. He called them the "personification of Fascism and Nazism," meaning they acted like those dangerous groups.
This was the first of more than 100 articles Carter wrote over the next three years. He bravely shared his strong feelings against the Klan and their actions. He even gave details about their meetings and violent acts. The KKK did not like what Carter was doing. Thomas Hamilton, a leader of the Klan, even threatened his newspaper and the businesses that advertised in it.
Even though some people in his town supported him, many others did not agree with Carter. This made him and his family feel alone and often face danger. His young son, Rusty, once asked him, "The Klan gonna come and get you Daddy?"
Carter's reporting helped the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) get involved. The FBI looked into what the local Klan was doing. This led to many Klan members being found guilty of crimes, including their leader, Thomas Hamilton.
In 1953, Carter's Tabor City Tribune won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. He shared this award with another newspaper, the Whiteville News Reporter. They won for their successful fight against the Ku Klux Klan. They did this right in their own town, even though it meant they could lose money and face danger. Their brave work led to over one hundred Klan members being found guilty. It also helped stop the scary actions and violence in their communities.
Later Life and Legacy
After leaving the newspaper business in the 1970s, Carter moved to Cross Creek, Florida. For many years, he enjoyed fishing and writing books about nature. He wrote 12 books between 1980 and 2001.
Later, Carter returned to Tabor City and started working at The Tribune again. The newspaper is still printed today. It is now called The Tabor-Loris Tribune. It is owned by a company called Atlantic Packaging Corporation. Carter continued to write his weekly articles for the newspaper until just a week before he passed away.
Horace Carter died at age 88 on September 16, 2009. He passed away from a heart attack. He was on his way home to Tabor City from a hospital in Wilmington, North Carolina. He was married three times and had three children.
