By
Andrew DeMarco
The past few years during February, which is Black History Month, I have written about lesser-known African Americans. In keeping with this tradition, I would like to tell you the story of Eunice Hunton Carter.
Eunice was born in Atlanta Georgia in 1899 to college educated parents which was unusual at that time. Her father William A. Hunton Sr. was the founder of the black division of the Y.M.C.A. and her mother Addie Hunton was a social worker. In fact, her paternal grandfather purchased his freedom from slavery just before the beginning of the Civil War. Her brother W. Alphaeus Hunton Jr. was also an author and activist involved with the Council of African Affairs. In 1906 the family moved from Atlanta to Brooklyn, New York where they both attended local schools. In 1921 she graduated from Smith College with a Bachelors degree and at the same time a Masters in social work. She worked briefly as a social worker but then decided to study law. In 1932 her career took a turn to the trailblazing path, when she became the first African American woman to receive a law degree from Fordham University. But this was just the beginning of many firsts for Eunice. In 1935 she became the first black woman to serve as Assistant District Attorney in New York state.
It was while serving as an A.D.A. that she once again blazed new trails. She was Robert Kennedy of the 60’s and Rudy Giuliani of the 80’s in mob busting before either of them even dreamed of it. Until Eunice Carter came along, most organized crime figures had been prosecuted and brought to justice through tax evasion laws, but Eunice found a different way. She determined that Charles ‘’Lucky” Luciano was involved in prostitution and put together a massive prostitution racketeering case that implicated Luciano. She then convinced District Attorney Thomas E. Dewey to prosecute the case. Luciano was convicted and after serving time in prison he was deported back to Italy. Although Eunice Carter did not play a prominent role during the trial, Dewey publicly acknowledged her contributions. The case was a steppingstone for Dewey’s career and Eunice Carter became an advisor and confidant to Dewey. Eunice Carter would later become active with the U.N., serving on committees that advocated for the improvement of women’s rights.
So, this is the story of an African American woman who bucked the times and went against the odds and made a difference and blazed new trails for all women. It was because of her success that public attorneys who came later, like RFK and Rudy Giuliani took the steps they did in fighting organized crime. So for this year’s Black History Month, Eunice Carter’s life and achievements should fill us all with pride and that feeling that Cousin Bob would call that…..Rosy Glow!
For more information regarding the Luciano case you can go to:
https://www.biography.com/crime/eunice-hunton-carter-lucky-luciano
Bob's Rosy Glow 