George R. Carter

George Robert Carter (December 28, 1866 – February 11, 1933) was the second Territorial Governor of Hawai'i, serving from 1903 to 1907.

Born in Honolulu, Carter was educated at Fort Street School in Honolulu (now McKinley High School), Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, and Yale University.

After serving an apprenticeship with Seattle National Bank in 1895, Carter returned to Hawaii to become the cashier of C. Brewer & Co., where his father, Henry A.P. Carter, used to be a senior partner. From 1898 to 1902, he helped organize and manage the Hawaiian Trust Company, and was managing director of the Hawaiian Fertilizer Company. In addition, he served as a director for Bank of Hawaii, C. Brewer, and Alexander & Baldwin.

Carter was elected to the Hawaii Territorial Senate from Oahu in 1901. While a territorial senator, he was sent to Washington as an unofficial agent to discuss territorial matters with President Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt eventually appointed him Secretary of the Territory in 1902, and then Territorial Governor in 1903, succeeding Sanford B. Dole who resigned to become a federal judge.

In 1905, during Carter's administration, the current system of county governments was created; the five county governments (Oahu, Maui, Kauai, Hawaii, and Kalawao) took effect on January 1, 1906. (Oahu County later became the City and County of Honolulu in 1909.)

After his retirement and until his death on February 11, 1933 in Honolulu, Hawaii, Carter remained active in the community. Carter was a member of the Hawaiian Historical Society and engaged in historical research, collecting valuable books and documents. In 1922, Carter donated his collection to the Hawaiian Mission Children's Society, which continues to maintain it as well as the Mission Houses Museum.