Obituary of John Carter

CARTER--John Mack. John Mack Carter, the storied magazine editor who headed the nation's top three women's magazines, including a 20-year stint at Good Housekeeping, died September 26, 2014 at his home in Bronxville, NY, after a lengthy battle with Parkinson's disease. He was 86 years old. Carter spent six decades in magazines and was the editor who shaped a new agenda for women's magazines in the pre-feminist era. He edited McCall's, then Ladies' Home Journal and ultimately Good Housekeeping--the top women's titles at the time--and is the only person in publishing history to have headed all three. In the early 1970s, a group of women stormed Carter's office at Ladies' Home Journal, holding him hostage for 11 hours as they demanded and negotiated changes in the magazine. The event garnered national media attention and Carter responded by taking magazines in a direction that reflected women's changing roles and needs. "There was more discrimination than I thought,: he later said. "I didn't push our women readers far enough in their self-awareness." In another interview he stated, "Power is the big issue that divides men and women. Men hold power, women want power, but men are reluctant to give it--any of it--away." His magazines reflected his ever-evolving consciousness and remained an advocate for women for the rest of his career, speaking out on issues ranging from equal rights to sexual harassment. "John Mack Carter was a giant in our industry," said Steven R. Swartz, president and CEO, Hearst Corporation. For decades he led some of this country's most widely read magazines, he mentored a generation of writers and editors, and his hugely successful Good Housekeeping helped fuel the growth of today's Hearst Corporation." "John Mack Carter was one of the most successful and influential editors of his time," said William R. Hearst III, chairman of the board, Hearst Corporation. "He was a leader in every aspect of the business and he will be missed by the entire Hearst family." "When John Mack became editor of Good Housekeeping, he faced a formidable challenge of invigorating the magazine without alienating its loyal core readers," said Frank A. Bennack, Jr., executive vice chairman and former CEO, Hearst Corporation. "Along with modernizing its content, he had a solution in 1975 that is today's industry standard: Put celebrities on the cover. The idea was revolutionary at the time and massive, immediate circulation growth followed. His vision and leadership played an important role in the growth of this company. We will all miss John Mack's unparalleled passion--and most of all, his friendship." "After leading Good Housekeeping to unprecedented success, John Mack Carter went on to generate future magazine growth at Hearst by inspiring the launch of new titles," said Gilbert C. Maurer, director and former COO, Hearst Corporation. "Over the years, so much of what I came to recognize as the standards for great magazine publishing I learned from John. His knack for perceiving unfilled needs in the marketplace was uncanny. And no one ever wrote a better cover line." A Murray, KY, native who attended Murray State University before transferring to the University of Missouri where he earned his master's in journalism in 1949, Carter remained loyal to his roots. He received an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from Murray State University in 1971. Advertising Age once dubbed Carter the "bluegrass evangelist," yet he was the consummate New York media luminary, working on more than a dozen established magazines. When Carter left Good Housekeeping in 1994, he helped to conceive and launch new titles for Hearst as president of Hearst Magazines Enterprises. Carter played a pivotal role in launching Country Living, Victoria, SmartMoney and Marie Claire, among other titles. Carter came to Hearst in 1975 from American Home Publishing Company where he was chairman and editor in chief of American Home magazine. Under his leadership at Good Housekeeping from 1975 to 1994, the magazine won two National Magazine Awards. In 1989, Carter received the Henry Johnson Fisher Award from MPA The Association of Magazine Media and in 2000, he was inducted into the American Society of Magazine Editors' Hall of Fame. In addition to his editorial and executive duties, Carter wrote a monthly column on magazines for Adweek for nine years. He hosted the cable television program, Good Housekeeping: A Better Way. He also found time to author and co-author a number of books, including 1975's How to Be Outrageously Successful with Women: A Guide to Surviving the Sexual Revolution, with Lois Wyse, and The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Book of Pregnancy and Baby Care (1990). While still in high school, Carter became a reporter for the Murray Ledger & Times, where he continued to contribute until he completed his graduate degree. He was offered $50 a week by Better Homes and Gardens to be an assistant editor, his first foray into women's magazines. He left Better Homes and Gardens for a commission as an ensign in the U.S. Navy and served two tours during the Korean War on the minesweeper U.S.S. Toucan before being honorably discharged as a lieutenant. Carter then took a job as managing editor at Household Magazine in Topeka, Kan., before heading to his ultimate destination of New York City. A Bronxville, N.Y., resident for 47 years, Carter is survived by his wife of 66 years, Sharlyn Reaves Carter; his children, Jonna Carter and John Mack Carter II; son-in-law John R. Low; daughter-in-law Victoria Carter; and four grandchildren, John Mack Carter III, Christina Victoria Carter, Kathleen Elizabeth Carter Low and Christopher Ryan Carter Low. He is also survived by his twin sister, Carolyn Carter Reagan; brother-in-law Johnny Reagan; nieces Jan Reagan Fuqua and Lyn Reagan Ryan; and nephews Danny Grant, David Grant, Dean Grant and Donald Grant. There will be a funeral for family and friends in Bronxville, N.Y., next week. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Andrus Early Learning Center (65 Main Street 3rd Floor, Tuckahoe, NY 10707; Alessandra Rose 914-965-3700 ext. 1241).