Steve Carter (born 1954) is an
American politician
A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...
and
businessman
A businessperson, also referred to as a businessman or businesswoman, is an individual who has founded, owns, or holds shares in (including as an angel investor) a private-sector company. A businessperson undertakes activities (commercial ...
who served as the forty-first
Attorney General of Indiana from January 1, 2001 to January 12, 2009.
Biography
Early life and education
Carter was born in
Lafayette,
Indiana
Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...
. His father was a farmer and realtor. Carter grew up on his family's farm in
Lowell, Indiana
Lowell ( ) is a town in West Creek and Cedar Creek townships, Lake County, Indiana, United States. The population was 10,680 at the 2020 census.
History
Lowell was platted in 1853. It was named after Lowell, Massachusetts. On June 27, 1868, L ...
.
Carter obtained a bachelor's degree in
Economics
Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services.
Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...
from
Harvard University
Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
. He also received his
MBA
A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular a ...
and
JD from the
Indiana University Bloomington
Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, IUB, or Indiana) is a public university, public research university in Bloomington, Indiana, United States. It is the flagship university, flagship campus of Indiana Univer ...
.
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 supportin ...
for
John Mutz,
Lieutenant Governor of Indiana
The lieutenant governor of Indiana is a Constitution of Indiana, constitutional office in the US state of Indiana. Republican Party (United States), Republican Micah Beckwith, who assumed office January 13, 2025, is the incumbent. The office hol ...
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 List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...
.
Carter ran for
Indiana Attorney General
The Indiana Attorney General is the chief legal officer of the U.S. state, 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 ...
in 1996, but was narrowly defeated by
Jeff Modisett. 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 in ...
and
cybercrime
Cybercrime encompasses a wide range of criminal activities that are carried out using digital devices and/or Computer network, networks. It has been variously defined as "a crime committed on a computer network, especially the Internet"; Cyberc ...
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
A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
Frank O'Bannon,
Joe Kernan, and
Mitch Daniels
Mitchell Elias Daniels Jr. (born April 7, 1949) is an American Academic administration, academic administrator, businessman, author, and retired politician who served as the 49th governor of Indiana from 2005 to 2013. A Republican Party (United ...
. 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 which therefore means that the United States Attorney General in the federal government is n ...
in 2005. A focus of Carter's work as attorney general was developing a strong state "Do Not Call" Law restricting
telemarketing
Telemarketing (sometimes known as inside sales, or telesales in the UK and Ireland) is a method of direct marketing in which a salesperson solicits prospective customers to buy products, subscriptions or services, either over the phone or throu ...
. Carter was succeeded to the office of Attorney General by
Greg Zoeller.
Carter sought the Republican nomination for state Attorney General in 2016
2016 was designated as:
* International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly.
* International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...
,[ 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