Carter was born on August 20, 1915, in Rockingham County, North Carolina, to Yancey Ligon Carter and Mary Elizabeth Morton, who were prominent tobacco farmers in the Bethany community. He was the thirteenth of fifteen children.[1] Carter was raised in the Baptist tradition. His grandfather, Pleasant Jiles Carter, was a North Carolinian planter.[2] Carter's great-grandfather, Thomas B. Carter, owned a large tobacco plantation in what is now Wentworth.[2]
Carter enlisted in the United States Army as a private in 1934, after graduating from Madison High School. He served in World War II with the rank of staff sergeant, as part of the 20th Infantry Regiment, and was deployed to North Africa and Italy. He also served in the Korean War and was stationed in Japan.[4][5] He was decorated for his service in World War II.[6][1] During World War II, four of his brothers were also serving. His mother was awarded a "five-starred emblem" by the Legion of Honor Association for having five sons serve at one time.[7][8] The award was presented at the President's Birthday Ball at the town armory. He retired from the army as a lieutenant colonel in 1958.[1]
In 1977 Carter was elected mayor of Madison.[9] He assumed office in 1978 and served until 1991.[10] In 1990 Carter dismissed Barry and Debbie Walker's charges of harassment against Phillip Webster, a town alderman, calling the charges a "personal vendetta" that the town "would no longer tolerate".[11] The Walkers accused Webster of harassment when ordering bushes on their property bordering U.S. Route 311 be trimmed by town workers. Carter told them to contact the district attorney if they felt a crime had been committed. He also stated that, were Webster guilty of violating a town ordinance, it would not be grounds for removal from the town's Board of Aldermen.[11]
In 1991 Carter supported a one-cent tax increase, to generate $273,000 annually as funding to maintain Chinqua Penn Plantation.[12]
On March 6, 1991, Carter was a speaker at a victory march and rally for United States troops who served in the Gulf War. The demonstration, sponsored by the Rockingham County Patriots, was held at Rockingham County High School.[13]
After his time as mayor, he served on town's Board of Aldermen for two years.[10]
He married Nancy Elizabeth Martin in 1941.[4] They had four daughters: Dorothy Jean Carter Seeman, Gerry Carter, Linda Carter Brinson, and Vicki Carter Alexander.[6]
In 1998 Carter was named Madison's Citizen of the Year.[6]
Carter died on December 19, 2000, at Stokes-Reynolds Memorial Hospital in Danbury, North Carolina. His funeral was held at First Baptist Church of Madison. He is buried in the cemetery at Sardis Primitive Baptist Church in Madison.[1]
^ abKing, Nancy Webster (1983). "Pleasant Jiles and Sarah Sharp Carter". The Heritage of Rockingham County, North Carolina, 1983. Winston-Salem, North Carolina: Rockingham County Historical Society in cooperation with Hunter Publishing Company. p. 196. ISBN0-89459-212-2.
