Asa Earl Carter
A virulent segregationist who later disguised himself to find success as a bestselling author of Western novels.
1925–1979 (age 54)·American segregationist·Birthday: September 4·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Asa Carter's life is a jarring tale of American extremism and reinvention. In 1950s Alabama, he was not a fringe figure but a central organizer, writing fiery speeches for the Klan and founding a militant segregationist group. His most infamous act was drafting Governor George Wallace's defiant 'Segregation forever' line. After a failed gubernatorial run where he attacked Wallace from the right, his influence in the white supremacist world waned. In a staggering second act, he moved to Texas and reinvented himself as 'Forrest Carter', a Cherokee storyteller. His novel 'Gone to Texas' was adapted into the Clint Eastwood film 'The Outlaw Josey Wales', and his children's book 'The Education of Little Tree' was marketed as a memoir, winning initial acclaim as an Indigenous narrative before investigative reporting revealed his true, hate-filled identity.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Asa was born in 1925, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Asa Was Born
The biggest hits of 1925
#1 Movie
The Gold Rush
Asa's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1925Born
The Scopes Trial debates evolution in schools
Home: $4,366President: Calvin Coolidge"Sweet Georgia Brown" — Ben Bernie
1930Started school
Pluto discovered
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,510President: Herbert Hoover"Body and Soul" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: All Quiet on the Western Front
1938Became a teenager
Kristallnacht and the escalation toward WWII
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $2,850Min wage: $0.25/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Begin the Beguine" — Artie ShawBest Picture: You Can't Take It with You
1941Could drive
Pearl Harbor attack brings the US into WWII
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,060Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Glenn MillerBest Picture: How Green Was My Valley
1943Could vote
Allies invade Sicily; Battle of Stalingrad ends
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,290Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I've Heard That Song Before" — Harry JamesBest Picture: Casablanca
1946Turned 21
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1955Turned 30
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1965Turned 40
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1975Turned 50
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1979Died at 54
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
Key Achievements
- Authored the pro-segregation speech for Alabama Governor George Wallace containing the line 'Segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever.'
- Founded the North Alabama Citizens Council and the militant Ku Klux Klan splinter group, the Original Ku Klux Klan of the Confederacy.
- Wrote the novel 'Gone to Texas', which was adapted into the successful Clint Eastwood film 'The Outlaw Josey Wales'.
- Published 'The Education of Little Tree', which initially sold as a Cherokee memoir and later won a fiction award.
Did You Know?
He worked as a radio announcer and used his show to spread segregationist rhetoric.
After his death, his family initially maintained the fiction that 'Forrest Carter' was a separate person.
The American Booksellers Association initially awarded 'The Education of Little Tree' its ABBY award as a non-fiction title in 1991.
“Segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever.”
