James Rose Carter Jr.

James Rose Carter, Jr., M.D.  1933-2025

Professor of Medicine, Emeritus, Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland OH.

Dr. Carter was born in Boston MA on August 30, 1933, to James Rose Carter and Grace Maguerite Dixon. He died peacefully at home in York ME with family nearby on September 17, 2025. He was predeceased by his sister Lorna Carter Knapp.

Dr. Carter was an alumnus of Phillips Andover Academy ‘51, Princeton University ’55 (Phi Beta Kappa), and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons ‘59 (Alpha Omega Alpha).  He completed an Internal Medicine Residency at Massachusetts General Hospital, becoming Chief Resident in Medicine. During this time, his training included two years at the National Institutes of Health where he began his research in transport mechanisms affected by the disease state of diabetes, before returning to the Faculty of Medicine at MGH and Harvard University.  Jim was honored for his contributions to the understanding of diabetes with election to the American Society for Clinical Investigation. After a few years on the Faculty of Medicine at University of Pennsylvania, he joined the Faculty of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University where he remained for the final 26 years of his medical career. During this time, he was named as a Fellow of the Academy of Medicine and became Chair of the Department of Medicine at MetroHealth Medical Center, a major teaching hospital for the University.

Dr. Carter developed a special interest in medical education at multiple training levels – medical students, residents, and fellows.  His work helped to develop the Primary Care Track for medical students. As a clinician, he was known for his diagnostic skills and his ability to engage young doctors in the practice of medicine, teaching them that the treatment of individuals seeking care was complex and more than the management of numbers on a page or pictures on a screen. For his teaching skills and the fostering of young doctors’ skills, he won numerous accolades and teaching awards, including Teacher of the Year.  

Jim has two children, Christopher Carter, PhD., and Victoria Rouleau, from his first marriage to Betty Chamberlain with whom he remained friends throughout her life after their divorce.  There are four grandchildren, Carter and Bennett Rouleau and Michelle and Jeremy Carter, whose careers and adventures he followed with great interest and enthusiasm. Jim married Susan Gear in August 1971. They shared a 54-year marriage that spanned Susan’s medical training as a medical oncologist and career on the faculty of the CWRU School of Medicine.

Outside of his career, Jim loved the out-of-doors, climbing the Presidential Range in the White Mountains NH, biking back roads, golfing and downhill skiing.  He was a supporter of the performing arts, with interests in symphonic music, ballet, and theater.  He and Susan were collectors of art as well, seeking out pieces of interest and getting to know the artists. All through his life, he was an avid reader of classic literature, fostered by a college major in English, and historical nonfiction. And, wherever his home, he remained a fan of the Boston sports teams.

Both Drs. Carter retired in 2000, moving to Maine to be near family and to enjoy a home on Maquoit Bay in Brunswick. This was followed by a move to Portland and a return to urban life before moving to be close to family in York.

In lieu of flowers, donations in the memory of James R. Carter, Jr., can be made to The Carter Family Scholarship Fund, Phillips Academy Andover, 180 Main Street, Andover, MA 01810  or to The Education Fund, Portland Symphony Orchestra, 85 Exchange Street 4th Floor, Portland, ME 04101.

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