Statewide County HI Archives Biographies.....Carter, Joseph Oliver December 20, 1835 - February 27, 1909 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/hi/hifiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: J. Orr orr@hawaii.com August 31, 2009, 5:15 pm Source: The Story of Hawaii and Its Builders. Published by Honolulu Star Bulletin, Ltd., Territory of Hawaii, 1925. Author: Edited by George F. Nellist JOSEPH OLIVER CARTER, Publicist and Diplomat. Captain Joseph O. Carter, New England shipmaster, who came to Hawaii in the earliest dawn of its trade and commerce, founded a family here which has maintained its name and traditions of public service for a century. Captain Carter, first of his line in Hawaii, is believed to have first visited Honolulu in 1825. According to family records, he is known to have been in Honolulu certainly as early as 1828, when he is mentioned as supercargo on a vessel in trade between Honolulu, and China, Mexico, California and Sitka. He was born in Massachusetts in 1802 and married Miss Hannah Trufant Lord of Hallowell, Me., in Honolulu in 1833. Captain Carter died in Honolulu in 1850. His family thus established here, the name of Captain Carter has been carried on for a hundred years, each succeeding generation being represented by a son named Joseph Oliver Carter in honor of the pioneer sea captain. Joseph Oliver Carter, eldest son of Captain Carter and the subject of this sketch, was born in Honolulu, Dec. 20, 1835. As a charter member of the present corporation of C. Brewer & Co., Ltd., and as a journalist, public official, diplomat, financier and philanthropist, Mr. Carter during an active career which covered a period of nearly three score years, contributed his efforts to the development of the commercial, political and cultural life of the islands. Going to Boston for schooling in 1840, when a child of five, Mr. Carter returned to Honolulu on Oct. 17, 1847, and attended school here for a short period before the death of his father in 1850, when he entered what was to be a long and eventful business career. Employed for a short time in Honolulu by A. B. Howe, a pioneer merchant, Mr. Carter later went to the California gold fields. Upon his return to Honolulu, he worked as a clerk in the post office, later becoming associated with H. M. Whitney, a dealer in books and stationery who was also connected with early ventures in growing cotton in Hawaii. Also with Mr. Whitney, who was its editor, Mr. Carter was on the staff of the Pacific Commercial Advertiser from late 50’s until 1872 and for the ten year period ending in 1877 was marine correspondent here for the New York Herald. Having taken a firm stand against the coolie trade and for reforms in the treatment of laborers on sugar plantations, Mr. Carter, when elected to the Hawaii Legislature in 1872, obtained amendments to the Masters and Servants Act which greatly ameliorated conditions among plantation laborers. The convincing arguments voiced in his speech on the subject in the legislature were later used in the British Parliament in support of similar reforms. About this time, Mr. Carter became interested in trust work, caring for and investing money entrusted to him by private individuals because of his judgment and ability. During this period his leisure hours were devoted to the study of law and history. In the early 70’s he was interested in agricultural development of Pauoa land, let out in small parcels to a group of Hawaiians. Mr. Carter was interested in the study of medicine, having once taken a short course with a physician in California, and at one period, as vaccinating agent of the Board of Health, he did service on Oahu during an epidemic of smallpox. Appointed Registrar of Public Accounts in 1874, Mr. Carter introduced needed reforms for the systematic ordering of financial matters and was often consulted by the minister of finance. He held this office until 1880 when he resigned to re-enter business life, becoming cashier and correspondent for C. Brewer & Co. In the early 80’s he also held the post of Commercial Agent for Japan, serving in this capacity until a Japanese consul was sent here. With the incorporation of the firm of C. Brewer & Co., Ltd., in 1883, Mr. Carter was elected secretary and treasurer. Upon the retirement of P. C. Jones in 1891, he was elected president, but resigned that office on Feb. 7, 1894, because of political differences with his business associates upon the questions of the hour. During this period, as previously, Mr. Carter was often called into conference by royalty, legislators and cabinet officers, but while always ready to respond to appeals for advice and to use his pen in the public press, he declined, despite urgent requests, to re-enter public life, either as candidate for the legislature of as cabinet officer under the monarchy. He did, however, accept an appointment as Privy Councillor to Queen Liliuokalani. Always actuated by the highest principles, guided in all his actions by his own convictions of what constituted right and wrong, regardless of his own material advantages, Mr. Carter during the revolutionary period of 1893 espoused the cause of the Hawaiian people, working for their rights within the law, and, feeling bound by the obligations of his oath of office as Privy Councillor to the Queen, he stood by her with advice and help in her need of assistance when she, enmeshed in the consequences of her own mistakes, had lost her throne. Following the overthrow of the monarchy and his resignation as president of C. Brewer & Co., Ltd., Mr. Carter opened an office of his own in 1894, transacting business as trustee and financial agent. In charge of the business affairs of the former Queen Liliuokalani, and as trustee of the Campbell Estate, the B. P. Bishop Estate, the Kamehameha Schools, and of various private accounts and estates, he was, during this period, in intimate touch with many and varied business and personal interests. In 1898, when annexation was the great question of the hour, Mr. Carter in his efforts to preserve the flag and nationality of the Hawaiian people, went to Washington as a member of a mission to present the cause of the Hawaiians who were opposed to such action. When it was learned that due to lack of a senate majority in its favor, the issue of annexation would not be brought to a vote, Mr. Carter returned to Honolulu, to be followed shortly afterwards by news that annexation had been accomplished on a plea of military necessity arising from the Spanish-American war. Continuing his interest in public life, Mr. Carter became a member of the Board of Health of the Republic of Hawaii at the request of President Dole. As a member of the Bethel Church, he served his turn as superintendent and teacher in its Sunday School, continuing his interest and church attendance when Bethel Church was merged into the Central Union Church, of which he was a trustee. Mr. Carter in his early years became affiliated with the Masonic order and with the Odd Fellows, and served for thirty years or more as a trustee of the latter fraternity. Mr. Carter and Mary Elizabeth Ladd, of a prominent pioneer Honolulu family, were married here, Nov. 28, 1859. They had six children, Charlotte A., Mary N., Rachel A., Joseph Oliver, Jr., Henry Cushman and Sarah M. Carter (Mrs. W. H. Babbitt). Elizabeth Carter Babbitt and Howard Carter Babbitt are grandchildren. Blindness came upon Mr. Carter in his last years, but with the assistance of his son, Henry C. Carter, he maintained his business office until Feb. 27, 1909, when, with his death, the islands noted the passing of a personality held in high esteem, not only by the business and social associates of his own race, but also by the native Hawaiians. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/hi/statewide/bios/carter12bs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/hifiles/ File size: 8.1 Kb