NEWCASTLE — William Carter didn’t set out to become a police officer, but he wound up dedicating most of his life to keeping people safe in Lincoln County and being a law enforcement leader in Maine and New England.

The former Lincoln County sheriff died Wednesday at Maine Medical Center, surrounded by his family. He was 72.

Fresh out of the Navy in 1959, Carter responded to an advertisement for a summer patrol officer’s job in Damariscotta, his hometown. He was hired immediately and became police chief within three years.

“He kind of fell into the job,” said his son, Shawn Carter of Jefferson. “His father was a carpenter.”

In 1964, when he was 26, William Carter ran for sheriff and won, becoming the youngest person ever elected sheriff in Maine. He was re-elected 13 times, often running unopposed, and served 37 years, the longest tenure in the 250-year history of the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department.

“The population of the county was a lot smaller back then,” his son said. “He knew everybody and everybody knew him. Besides, nobody wanted to be the boss of all the cops. It was a stressful job and you had to be able to deal with the politics.”

Before he retired in 2002, he oversaw more than 40 full-time employees, a jail and a budget of about $2.3 million. He promoted innovation in law enforcement, including drug prevention and treatment programs, anger-management classes for jail inmates, advanced criminal investigations and the 911 emergency response system.

“He was a professional, so anything he could do to make progress was important to him,” his son said.

When dealing with crimes and other public safety issues, he often saw people at their worst — domestic violence in particular “turned his stomach,” his son said. But he understood that people could make mistakes and often believed they deserved a second chance.

“He’d arrest you one day and drive you home the next,” his son said.

During his career, he belonged to and served as president of the Maine Sheriffs Association and the New England Association of Chiefs of Police. The Maine Chiefs of Police Association named him Police Chief of the Year in 1988.

More than 250 people attended his retirement party at the Augusta Civic Center. A memorial service with military and law enforcement honors will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday in the gym at Lincoln Academy, his alma mater.

When he wasn’t working, he was camping with family members at Annabessacook Lake in Winthrop, hunting with buddies in Cherryfield or watching the Red Sox at spring training in Florida.

He loved taking photos, celebrating holidays and spending time with his grandchildren.

“We argued about sports and politics, but we were pretty much two peas in a pod,” his son said. “He was a good man and he thought of other people first. This is a big loss.”

Staff Writer Kelley Bouchard can be contacted at 791-6328 or at: kbouchard@pressherald.com

 

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