Steve Carter (born 1954) is an American politician and businessman who served as the forty-first

Attorney General of Indiana The Indiana Attorney General is the chief legal officer of the State of Indiana in the United States. Attorneys General are chosen by a statewide general election to serve for a four-year term. The forty-fourth and Attorney General is Todd Roki ...

from January 1, 2001 to January 12, 2009.

Biography

Early life and education

Carter was born in Lafayette, Indiana. His father was a farmer and realtor. Carter grew up on his family's farm in Lowell, Indiana. Carter obtained a bachelor's degree in Economics from Harvard University. He also received his MBA and JD from the Indiana University Bloomington.

Political career

Carter, a Republican, served as

chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...

for John Mutz,

Lieutenant Governor of Indiana The lieutenant governor of Indiana is a constitutional office in the US state of Indiana. Republican Suzanne Crouch, who assumed office January 9, 2017, is the incumbent. The office holder's constitutional roles are to serve as the president of t ...

from 1981 to 1989. Carter advised Mutz (who also served as Commissioner of Agriculture) on agricultural matters. Carter also served as chief

counsel A counsel or a counsellor at law is a person who gives advice and deals with various issues, particularly in legal matters. It is a title often used interchangeably with the title of ''lawyer''. The word ''counsel'' can also mean advice given ...

for the city of

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

. Carter ran for

Indiana Attorney General The Indiana Attorney General is the chief legal officer of the State of Indiana in the United States. Attorneys General are chosen by a statewide general election to serve for a four-year term. The forty-fourth and Attorney General is Todd Roki ...

in 1996, but was narrowly defeated by

Jeff Modisett Jeffrey A. Modisett (born August 1954) is the former attorney general of Indiana and county prosecuting attorney of Marion County, Indiana who has worked as an independent legal consultant and CEO of a global legal referral network. He is current ...

. Carter ran for the same office again in 2000, running on a platform of reducing

drunk driving Drunk driving (or drink-driving in British English) is the act of driving under the influence of alcohol. A small increase in the blood alcohol content increases the relative risk of a motor vehicle crash. In the United States, alcohol is invo ...

and cybercrime and bolstering

consumer protection Consumer protection is the practice of safeguarding buyers of goods and services, and the public, against unfair practices in the marketplace. Consumer protection measures are often established by law. Such laws are intended to prevent business ...

. Carter defeated incumbent Karen Freeman-Wilson and served as Attorney General from 2001 to 2009, in the administrations of Governors

Frank O'Bannon Frank Lewis O'Bannon (January 30, 1930 – September 13, 2003) was an American politician who served as the 47th governor of Indiana from 1997 until his death in 2003. As of October 2022, he remains the most recent United States Governor to h ...

, Joe Kernan, and Mitch Daniels. Carter was elected as President of the

National Association of Attorneys General The National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization of state and territory attorneys general in the United States. NAAG is governed by member attorneys general, with a president and executive committee se ...

in 2005. A focus of Carter's work as attorney general was developing a strong state "Do Not Call" Law restricting telemarketing. Carter was succeeded to the office of Attorney General by Greg Zoeller. Carter sought the Republican nomination for state Attorney General in

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

, but lost to Curtis Hill at the June 2016 Republican state convention.

Personal life

Carter's wife, Marilyn Carter, was a television journalist in Indianapolis. Carter is the founder and president of the DeMotte Grain Company, Inc. in DeMotte.

Electoral history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carter, Steve Living people 1954 births Indiana Attorneys General Indiana lawyers Harvard University alumni Indiana University Maurer School of Law alumni Kelley School of Business alumni People from Lowell, Indiana