John Prentiss Carter was born February 7, 1840, near Augusta, Perry County, Mississippi.[1][2] He was the son of Abner Carter, who had served in the Mississippi House of Representatives, and his wife, Isabella (McLeod) Carter.[1][2] His maternal grandfather, John McLeod, was a member of the first Mississippi Constitutional Convention in 1817.[1] Abner died in 1847.[3] Carter attended the Salem high school, which was located in Greene County, Mississippi, from 1849 to 1857.[1][2] In 1857, Carter enrolled in Centenary College as a sophomore, and graduated with second honors in 1860, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree.[1][2]
Civil War
In 1861, after the American Civil War began, Carter enlisted in the Confederate Army as a private in Company G of Mississippi's 27th Infantry.[1][2] He was soon afterwards promoted to the rank of sergeant major.[2] In 1862, he was promoted to the rank of second lieutenant, and became a first lieutenant in 1863.[1][2] In the war, Carter fought in the battles of Stones River, Chickamauga, and Lookout Mountain.[1][2] During the battle of Lookout Mountain, Carter was captured and imprisoned in Johnson's Island until the end of the war.[2]
Career
After the war ended, Carter returned to Mississippi, where he read law and was admitted to the bar in 1866 or 1867.[2] He practiced law in Hattiesburg until 1896.[2] In 1865, Carter was Perry County's delegate to the Mississippi State Constitutional Convention.[3] Carter was also elected to represent Perry County as a Democrat in the Mississippi House of Representatives for the 1865-1867 sessions.[1] From 1867 to 1869, Carter served as Perry County's County Attorney.[1] In 1873, Carter was elected to represent the First District in the Mississippi State Senate for a four-year term, and served in the sessions of 1874, 1875, 1876, and 1877.[1][2] He was re-elected to the Senate in 1877, and served in the 1878 and 1880 sessions.[1][2] Carter refused to run for re-election in 1881.[2] In 1887, Carter was once again elected to the State House, and served in the 1888 session.[1][2] In 1890, Carter was a delegate to Mississippi's 1890 Constitutional Convention.[1][2] On November 3, 1903, Carter was elected to the office of Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi, and served from January 18, 1904, to January 20, 1908.[1][2][4]
