Amon G. Carter, Sr. Collection

 

Amon Giles Carter (1879-1955) was a well-known and respected business leader in Texas and across the country. Though he is perhaps best known as a pre-eminent newspaper publisher of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, he was also very successful in the air, oil, cattle, and radio/television businesses. He established WBAP, Fort Worth's first radio station, which later became the first television station in the Southwest in 1948. Carter's friends and colleagues included the most prominent names in government, business, industry, and entertainment. His philanthropy touched both individuals and institutions. Carter was a major influence in the establishment of Texas Tech University and contributor to Texas Christian University. He led a statewide campaign that resulted in the creation of Big Bend National Park. An avid proponent of the airline industry, he brought the headquarters of South West Air Corporation, later known as American Airlines, to Fort Worth, and secured government funding for a local aircraft factory that is known today as Lockheed-Martin.

Also included in this collection are World War II records related to Amon Carter, Jr.'s experience as a prisoner of war in Europe and Amon Carter, Sr.'s participation in a war atrocities tour at the close of the war. General Dwight D. Eisenhower requested that a group of prominent American journalists visit Buchenwald concentration camp in April of 1945 to document German atrocities, as many average Americans believed the stories to be war propaganda. Warning: photos in this collection may be disturbing to sensitive viewers.

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Digitization of this collection is being funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

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