Growing up in Lancaster County, young Carter laid the foundation of his education in the local public schools. For his higher literary work, he went to the Petersburg Normal and Collegiate Institute and completed his course there in 1896. For his law course, he matriculated at Howard University, where he won his L.L.B. degree in 1900.
As a boy young Carter had become interested in the procedure of his father's court and early determined to be a lawyer. Of course, the way was not easy. Hard work and close application told on his health, and while he was admitted to the bar at Richmond in 1901, it was two years after his graduation, before he settled down to devote his full time to the practice of law. He was at Newport News, Va. for a few months and spent a short time in Ohio and in Pittsburgh. He worked in Florida for a part of two tourist seasons. This brought him up to 1902. In that year he came to Charleston, where he has since resided. When he reached the city he had $3.16, and was a stranger, but he had his education and a will to work. Also there was something about him which inspired confidence, so that from the beginning he had the co-operation of some of the best people of the city. His practice has been almost entirely civil, and grew apace as the man and the character of his work became known. He was not slow to visualize the future of Charleston and invested his earnings in real estate which has had steady enhancement.
In politics Mr. Carter is a Republican, but has not sought office. He is a prominent and active member of the Baptist church in which he is a trustee. He has been Superintendent of his local Sunday School and is now teacher of a Bible Class.
On October 2, 1911, Mr. Carter was married to Miss Fannie C. Cobb, one of the State's most accomplished teachers.
Mr. Carter has been an intelligent observer of conditions both in the country and in the city and believes that the three outstanding needs of the race today may be summed up in as many words "Education, property, business."