Hugh Alton Carter (August 13, 1920 – June 24, 1999) was an American politician and businessman from
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
. He was also the first cousin of US president
Jimmy Carter
James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 76th governor of Georgia from 1 ...
.
Early life and education
Born in
Plains, Georgia
Plains is a town in Sumter County, Georgia, United States. The population was 776 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Americus Micropolitan Statistical Area. Plains is best known as the birthplace and home of Jimmy Carter, the 39th president ...
, Carter served in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
as a
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...
lieutenant
A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations.
The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...
seeing combat in Europe. After the war, Carter remained in the
reserves and retired as a
lieutenant colonel in 1964.
Carter graduated from
Georgia Southwestern State University
Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW) is a public university in Americus, Georgia. It is part of the University System of Georgia and offers bachelor's degree programs along with selected master's and specialist degree programs.
History
G ...
, when the college was a two-year college and then from the
University of Georgia
, mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things."
, establ ...
.
Political career
Carter served seven terms (14 years) in the
Georgia State Senate
The Georgia State Senate is the upper house of the Georgia General Assembly, in the U.S. state of Georgia.
Legal provisions
The Georgia State Senate is the upper house of the Georgia General Assembly, with the lower house being the Georgia Ho ...
, from 1967 until 1981 and was 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 ...
.
He represented District 14, and succeeded his cousin future-President
Jimmy Carter
James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 76th governor of Georgia from 1 ...
in that post. He represented eight Georgia rural counties, and served as chairman of the Senate Education Committee and was a senior member of the Appropriations, Rules and Fiscal Affairs Committees.
Business ventures
Carter owned a bait shop and a general (later antique) store.
In 1949, Carter started a third business growing fish bait. Originally limited to crickets, he later expanded into worms. By the mid-1950s, Carter was selling worms nationwide and laying claim to the title of "the world's largest worm farmer", producing more than 60 million a year.
Carter wrote six pamphlets on worm and cricket farming, the best seller in 1958 was ''18 Secrets of Successful Worm Raising'' The
pamphlet originally sold for $1.00. When Carter raised the price to $2.95 sales grew even faster.
In 1978, he wrote a book: ''Cousin Beedie and Cousin Hot: My life with the Carter Family from Plains, Georgia''.
The book drew the wrath of aunt
Lillian Carter and cousin
Billy Carter
William Alton Carter (March 29, 1937 – September 25, 1988) was an American farmer, businessman, brewer, and politician. The younger brother of U.S. President Jimmy Carter; he promoted Billy Beer and Peanut Lolita; and he was a candidate for ...
. In the book, he had referred to the President's mother as "domineering", while offering his opinion of Presidential brother, Billy: "He's not a redneck, but can make money as a redneck". Shortly after the book's publication, Carter drew a political opponent. Peanut farmer Malcolm "Chicken" Wishard, was backed by Hugh Carter's aggrieved aunt Lillian and cousin Billy. However, Wishard's campaign slogan "Help the Chicken take the Worm", failed to inspire voters, and Carter was re-elected to another term in the State Senate.
Later years
Carter retired from the State Senate in 1981. His bait growing business suffered declining sales in the 1990s, and he closed it in 1996. At the age of 78, Hugh Carter died in
Americus, Georgia
Americus is the county seat of Sumter County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 16,230. It is the principal city of the Americus Micropolitan Statistical Area, a micropolitan area that covers Schley an ...
on June 24, 1999.
Political Graveyard
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Notes
External links
*
How and Where to Sell Fishworms and Crickets (1957) - Hugh A. Carter
Raising the Gray Cricket (1978) - Hugh A. Carter
How to Raise the African Redworm (1959) - Hugh A. Carter
How to Feed the Hybrid Red Wiggler (1965) - Hugh A. Carter
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carter, Hugh
People from Plains, Georgia
Military personnel from Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia Southwestern State University alumni
University of Georgia alumni
Businesspeople from Georgia (U.S. state)
Democratic Party Georgia (U.S. state) state senators
Writers from Georgia (U.S. state)
Carter family
1920 births
1999 deaths
20th-century American businesspeople
20th-century American politicians
United States Army personnel of World War II