Hugh Carter

1942 - 2023

Hugh Carter
September 29, 1942 - July 23, 2023
Tampa, Florida - Hugh A. Carter, Jr. passed away peacefully on July 23, 2023 in Tampa, FL surrounded by his loving family. Hugh was born in Americus, GA on September 29, 1942, the son of Hugh A. Carter, Sr. and Ruth Carter of Plains, GA. He is survived by his wife of 44 years, Glenna Garrett Carter and daughters Mary Elise Rising (Clay) of Tampa, FL, Kathleen Carter of Denver, CO, Emily Gaston (Nick) of Charlotte, NC, grandchildren Carter Rising (9), Mary Garrett Rising (6), Anna Maeve Gaston (11 months), his sisters Laurie Tharpe (Ed) of Macon, GA, Connie Collins (Leon) of Byron, GA as well as many nieces and nephews.
Hugh was the Owner, Chairman and President of Darby Printing Company, a book manufacturing and publishing company based in Atlanta, GA for 27 years. In 2013, he sold the company and retired. His background includes corporate, government, and civic experiences.
Hugh served four years on President Jimmy Carter's Senior White House Staff as Special Assistant to the President for Administration. He reported directly to the President and his duties included: management of all administrative and military support to the President; liaison between President Carter and former Presidents Ford and Nixon and several former first families; acting as a surrogate for the President nationally; speaking across the country on behalf of the Administration; and coordinating several White House task force initiatives.
Prior to joining the White House staff, Hugh spent eight years with John H. Harland Company, an Atlanta-based check printing company, as Vice President.
Hugh was a member of The Carter Center Board of Councilors, a former member of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, and a former member of the Board of Trustees of the Georgia Tech Foundation.
Hugh served as a member of the Regents search committee for the President of Georgia Tech. He is a former Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Georgia Tech School of Systems and Industrial Engineering, former Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Georgia Tech School of Management, and a former member of the Dean's Search Committee of the Georgia Tech School of Management. He is a past member of the Wharton Graduate Executive Advisory Board of the University of Pennsylvania.
Hugh served as an Attaché for the U.S. Virgin Islands Olympic Committee for the Games of the XXVI Olympiad in Atlanta. He also lectured for the Brookings Institute and is a past member of the President’s Commission on the Executive Exchange, The President’s Management Improvement Council, and the Executive Steering Committee of the Arts (John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts). Hugh also served as a member of the Jaycees.
Hugh received his Bachelor of Industrial Engineering degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1964 and his Master of Business Administration degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1968. In the interim, he served as an officer in the U.S. Army.
Hugh was a member of Reynolds Lake Oconee, The Rotary Club of Atlanta, and Second Ponce de Leon Baptist Church.
After retirement, Hugh and Glenna moved to their lake house on Lake Oconee in Greensboro, GA, and most recently moved to Tampa, FL. He spent his retirement years enjoying life on the lake, fishing, boating, and being with his family and dog, Kota.
There will be a private family burial and a memorial service at 11:00am on Saturday August 5, 2023 at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, GA. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Melech Hospice House (11125 North 52nd Street Temple Terrace, FL 33617), The Alzheimer's Association, The Carter Center, The Atlanta Lab Rescue or Georgia Tech.