John Prentiss Carter (February 7, 1840 - July 24, 1925) was an American politician. He served in both houses of the

Mississippi Legislature The Mississippi Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The bicameral Legislature is composed of the lower Mississippi House of Representatives, with 122 members, and the upper Mississippi State Senate, with 52 me ...

and was the Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi from 1904 to 1908.

Early life

John Prentiss Carter was born February 7, 1840, near Augusta, Perry County, Mississippi. He was the son of Abner Carter, who had served in the

Mississippi House of Representatives The Mississippi House of Representatives is the lower house of the Mississippi Legislature, the lawmaking body of the U.S. state of Mississippi. According to the state constitution of 1890, it is to comprise no more than 122 members elected fo ...

, and his wife, Isabella (McLeod) Carter. His maternal grandfather, John McLeod, was a member of the first Mississippi Constitutional Convention in 1817. Abner died in 1847. Carter attended the Salem high school, which was located in Greene County, Mississippi, from 1849 to 1857. In 1857, Carter enrolled in Centenary College as a sophomore, and graduated with second honors in 1860, receiving a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree.

Civil War

In 1861, after the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

began, Carter enlisted in the

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

as a private in Company G of Mississippi's 27th Infantry. He was soon afterwards promoted to the rank of sergeant major. In 1862, he was promoted to the rank of second lieutenant, and became a first lieutenant in 1863. In the war, Carter fought in the battles of Stones River,

Chickamauga Chickamauga may refer to: Entertainment * "Chickamauga", an 1889 short story by American author Ambrose Bierce * "Chickamauga", a 1937 short story by Thomas Wolfe * "Chickamauga", a song by Uncle Tupelo from their 1993 album ''Anodyne (album), Ano ...

, and

Lookout Mountain Lookout Mountain is a mountain ridge located at the northwest corner of the U.S. state of Georgia, the northeast corner of Alabama, and along the southeastern Tennessee state line in Chattanooga. Lookout Mountain was the scene of the 18th-centu ...

. During the battle of Lookout Mountain, Carter was captured and imprisoned in Johnson's Island until the end of the war.

Career

After the war ended, Carter returned to Mississippi, where he read law and was admitted to the bar in 1866 or 1867. He practiced law in

Hattiesburg Hattiesburg is a city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, located primarily in Forrest County (where it is the county seat and largest city) and extending west into Lamar County. The city population was 45,989 at the 2010 census, with the populat ...

until 1896. In 1865, Carter was

Perry County Perry County may refer to: United States *Perry County, Alabama *Perry County, Arkansas *Perry County, Illinois *Perry County, Indiana *Perry County, Kentucky *Perry County, Mississippi *Perry County, Missouri *Perry County, Ohio *Perry Coun ...

's delegate to the Mississippi State Constitutional Convention. Carter was also elected to represent Perry County as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

in the

for the 1865-1867 sessions. From 1867 to 1869, Carter served as Perry County's County Attorney. In 1873, Carter was elected to represent the First District in the

Mississippi State Senate The Mississippi Senate is the upper house of the Mississippi Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The Senate, along with the lower Mississippi House of Representatives, convenes at the Mississippi State Capitol ...

for a four-year term, and served in the sessions of 1874, 1875, 1876, and 1877. He was re-elected to the Senate in 1877, and served in the 1878 and 1880 sessions. Carter refused to run for re-election in 1881. In 1887, Carter was once again elected to the State House, and served in the 1888 session. In 1890, Carter was a delegate to Mississippi's 1890 Constitutional Convention. 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.

Personal life and death

Carter was a member of the

Methodist Episcopal Church The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself on a national basis. In ...

. He was a member of the

United Confederate Veterans The United Confederate Veterans (UCV, or simply Confederate Veterans) was an American Civil War veterans' organization headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana. It was organized on June 10, 1889, by ex-soldiers and sailors of the Confederate Sta ...

, the Masonic Order, the

Knights Templar , colors = White mantle with a red cross , colors_label = Attire , march = , mascot = Two knights riding a single horse , equipment ...

, the

Nobles of the Mystic Shrine Shriners International, formally known as the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine (AAONMS), is an American Masonic society established in 1870 and is headquartered in Tampa, Florida. Shriners International describes itself ...

, and the Mystical Seven. He married Margaret C. McCallum in 1868. They had six children, named John McCallum, Prentiss Abner, George Henry, Annie Isabella, Charles Galloway, and Martha Ruth. Carter died shortly after 6 AM on July 24, 1925, in

Hattiesburg, Mississippi Hattiesburg is a city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, located primarily in Forrest County, Mississippi, Forrest County (where it is the county seat and largest city) and extending west into Lamar County, Mississippi, Lamar County. The city popu ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carter, John Prentiss 1840 births 1925 deaths Lieutenant Governors of Mississippi Democratic Party members of the Mississippi House of Representatives Democratic Party Mississippi state senators People from Perry County, Mississippi People from Hattiesburg, Mississippi Mississippi lawyers Confederate States Army officers 19th-century American politicians 20th-century American politicians 19th-century American lawyers