The Rev. James C. Carter, Loyola University’s longest serving president, dies at 98

The Rev. James C. Carter, Loyola University’s longest-serving president, died at 98 on Friday. A Jesuit priest and physicist, Carter served as president from 1974 to 1995, overseeing major campus developments like the J. Edgar and Louise S. Monroe Library while maintaining Loyola’s Jesuit and Catholic identity. Born in 1927 in New York to Louisiana natives, Carter briefly attended Loyola as a student before joining the Jesuit novitiate in 1945. He earned degrees in physics from Spring Hill College, Fordham University, and The Catholic University of America, specializing in nuclear physics and the intersection of science and religion. After ordination in 1958, he returned to Loyola to teach before rising to provost and then president. Carter’s leadership transformed Loyola’s physical campus while deepening its civic role in New Orleans, where he collaborated with organizations like United Way and the National Conference for Community and Justice. Despite his achievements, he humbly noted in 2017 that preserving Loyola’s Jesuit values was his proudest accomplishment. Beyond academia, Carter remained active in ministry, teaching until 2020 and later retiring to St. Ignatius Hall in Florissant, Missouri. He was known for his approachability—even growing a beard to connect with students—and his daily routine of biking and praying in Audubon Park. Loyola’s current president, Xavier Cole, called Carter ‘one of the most beloved figures in university history,’ describing him as a mentor and faithful steward of its mission.