University of Wyoming
John J. Carter, came to America at the age of 5 and became a highly decorated Civil War hero and a successful railroad and oil business man. He was born in Westport, Ireland, on June 16, 1842. Soon after his birth his parents died and his sister, Honora, undertook the care of her brother and emigrated with her husband and John to the United States. After Honora’s husband died in 1850, John was placed in the custody of Rev. John Sheridan, who began his education. He attended school in Buffalo, New York, and was enrolled in the Nunda Literary Institute from 1854 to 1859. In 1860, John attempted to gain an appointment to West Point but was denied admission despite having the highest score in the competitive examination. He then attempted to enter the University of Rochester to study law but did not have the money to pay the tuition. He returned home with the intention of saving his money so that he could enroll for the next term. When the Civil War broke out, John was the first person to appear on the enlistment roll of volunteers in Nunda and Livingston county, New York. He was 18. John served with the 33rd Regiment, New York State Volunteers, Infantry, as a private soldier. He was promoted through the ranks to Captain during his enlistment. Captain Carter’s service lasted four years and three months and he was awarded the nation’s highest award, the Congressional Medal of Honor. After the war, John returned to Nunda, New York, and married Emma Gibbs in June of 1866. He and his wife relocated to Titusville, Pennsylvania, and opened a clothing store. In 1877 he invested in an oil drilling venture which was very successful. He continued to invest in oil and continued to make a profit enabling him to buy up oil property. In 1884, John purchased a large elegant home, known as the Archbold House. Carter lived at this residence with his family, traveled to Europe during the hay fever season, and worked hard at producing, buying, and selling oil in Pennsylvania. In 1893, he founded the Carter Oil Company and served as president of that company until his resignation in 1915. The Carter Oil Company became an affiliate of the Standard Oil Company, and as President of the Carter Oil Company, John was called upon by Standard to make inspection trips and report on existing conditions and prospects for further development by Standard. In 1906, he was asked to go to Japan to examine the property of the International Oil Company Limited. In 1915 The Carter Oil Company opened a western division office and began producing oil in the west. John Carter, now 73, resigned as president. In December of 1916, John Carter developed pneumonia and on January 3, 1917 he died at the age of 74.
The John J. Carter Papers, 1871-1916, include correspondence, diary transcripts, diaries, and notes, which document Mr. Carter’s life and work. The correspondence with family and colleagues is valuable to the understanding of John J. Carter’s approach to the oil business. The correspondence with Luke Carter, his son, deals specifically with Luke learning the oil business at one of the Carter Oil Company’s oil fields in Ouray, Colorado. The advice John J. Carter gives to his son helped shape Luke Carter’s understanding of the business, which allowed him to eventually become the director of the Carter Oil Company. The correspondence from 1907-1908 documents John J. Carter’s trip to Japan to examine the property of the International Oil Company Limited on behalf of the Standard Oil Company. The diaries and diary transcripts document the day-to-day events of John J. Carter’s life, which include his travels and his business dealings on behalf of the Carter Oil Company and the Standard Oil Company, his family life, and his own personal life, observations, and insights. The notes show that John J. Carter was also interested in history, botany, and theology.
There are no access restrictions on the materials for research purposes, and the collection is open to the public.
The researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.
There are no known other archival collections created by John J. Carter at the date of processing.
The John J. Carter papers, 1871-1916, were given to the American Heritage Center by Mr. and Mrs. John J. Carter, descendants of John J. Carter, in several shipments from 1963 to 1969.
The collection was processed by Matthew Grafel in March 1998 and revised by D.C. Thompson in September, 1998.
Item Description, Box Number, Folder Number, Collection Name, Collection Number, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.