Carter was born at the Naval Medical Center Portsmouth in Portsmouth, Virginia. Raised in Plains, Georgia, he spent winters working at his father's peanut farm warehouse, where his wages began at 10 cents per hour. Carter struggled when he first entered college in 1965, bouncing among Georgia Tech, Emory University, and Georgia Southwestern State University before enlisting in the United States Navy in April 1968 at the suggestion of his father. Carter served during the Vietnam War, on the salvage ship. He received a "less than honorable" general discharge in late 1970 after he and 53 classmates were caught smoking marijuana at the Navy Nuclear Power School in Idaho Falls, Idaho. Carter returned to Georgia Tech, earning a degree in nuclear physics. Following graduation, he immediately entered law school at the University of Georgia, receiving his Juris Doctor in 1975. In 1981, Carter moved to Chicago, where he worked for the Chicago Board of Trade and Citibank. His first marriage was to Juliet "Judy" Langford Carter. They have two children, Jason and Sarah. Jason has written a book, Power Lines, about his experiences doing humanitarian work in South Africa, and was elected to the Georgia State Senate in 2010. Sarah Carter, a PhD candidate in neuroscience, worked for his campaign and blogs on DailyKos. After his divorce, Carter married Elizabeth Brasfield on May 15, 1992, and they lived in Bermuda, where they started an investment company, and then moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 2003, where he formed the investment consultant firm Carter Global. Stepson John Chuldenko is a film director and has directed television ads for the campaign. Stepdaughter Sarah Reynolds is a book illustrator and painter who has worked with Jeff Koons, and is married to Australian artist Stephen Reynolds.
2006 senatorial campaign
Carter moved to Nevada in 2002 and ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the United States Senate as a Democrat against incumbent Republican Senator John Ensign of Nevada in the 2006 election. Carter won the Democratic nomination on August 15, 2006 against opponent Ruby Jee Tun, a teacher from Carson City. Carter's primary issues were his opposition to the Iraq War and his concerns about the healthcare system, especially what he characterized as its failure to meet its commitment to veterans. Carter, who said he and his wife have lived in Las Vegas since 2002, acknowledged that his recent arrival might be his greatest hurdle in the race. Carter lost the 2006 Nevada election to John Ensign by a 55% to 41% margin. Carter was hospitalized for almost two weeks with colitisat the beginning of September 2006, falling ill following a trip to Atlanta for the birth of his first grandchild. He spent two days in intensive care, but had recovered by the beginning of October.
