Carter Roy

Asa Earl Carter (1925–1979) was an American figure known for both his political activism and his literary career under the pseudonym Forrest Carter. In the 1950s, Carter was a prominent segregationist and Ku Klux Klan organizer in Alabama. He hosted a syndicated radio show promoting segregationist views, co-wrote George Wallace's infamous "Segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever" line, and founded the North Alabama Citizens' Council and a militant KKK splinter group. His political activities included running for governor on a white supremacist platform.

Later in life, Carter reinvented himself as a novelist, adopting the name Forrest Carter and claiming Cherokee heritage. He authored Western novels, including "The Rebel Outlaw: Josey Wales," which was adapted into a film. His most famous work, "The Education of Little Tree," was initially marketed as a memoir of his supposed Cherokee upbringing but was later revealed to be fictional. The revelation of his true identity and past as Asa Carter gained national attention following the posthumous success of "The Education of Little Tree," which became a bestseller and won awards despite its fabricated origins.

Asa Carter began his public life as a fervent segregationist in Alabama during the 1950s. He operated a syndicated radio show promoting his views and was a speechwriter for Governor George Wallace, contributing to the notorious 1963 inaugural address line, "Segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever." Carter also founded the North Alabama Citizens' Council, an offshoot of the White Citizens' Council, and a violent Ku Klux Klan faction known as the Original Ku Klux Klan of the Confederacy. His publication, "The Southerner," disseminated white supremacist and anti-communist rhetoric. Carter's activism included inflammatory speeches and involvement in incidents related to the civil rights movement, leading to his eventual departure from mainstream segregationist organizations due to his extreme rhetoric and antisemitism.

After a period of political involvement, Carter relocated and adopted the pseudonym Forrest Carter, distancing himself from his past. He also began presenting himself as a Cherokee writer, a claim later revealed to be false. Under this new identity, he penned several novels. His Western "The Rebel Outlaw: Josey Wales" was adapted into a successful film. His most notable work, "The Education of Little Tree," was presented as a memoir of his Cherokee childhood. This book achieved significant posthumous success, topping bestseller lists and receiving awards, before the author's true identity and controversial history as Asa Carter were exposed by The New York Times.