Background
John Carter was born in 1737 in Virginia.
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John Carter
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It is believed that he was a kinsman of Robert (or "King") Carter, but the precise relationship has not been determined.
By reason of his eminence he became the most prominent member of the community of western North Carolina (now Tennessee) which included such distinguished pioneers as John Sevier and Charles and James Robertson. He formed a partnership with William Parker, in the establishment of a store, the chief enterprise of the growing colony. This store was robbed by Indians, who were forced to make reparation by granting the owners an extensive tract of land comprising the whole of Carter's Valley. In 1772 the Watauga pioneers organized the first government west of the Alleghanies and adopted a written constitution, sometimes said to be the first in America, entitled "Articles of the Watauga Association. " Under this government, legislative and executive functions were vested in a board of thirteen commissioners, of which Carter was chairman. He was also chairman of the judicial body, the Watauga court. In 1776 the inhabitants of "Washington District, " which comprised what is now northeast Tennessee, petitioned the North Carolina Provincial Council to be annexed to North Carolina. The petition was granted, and the district chose Carter as one of the members of the North Carolina Provincial Congress of 1776. This congress made him a colonel of the district, in which capacity he was active throughout the Revolution in defending the frontier against the Indians. A public magazine of military stores was established at his house. In 1777, and again in 1781, he represented Washington District in the North Carolina Senate, serving on a committee for the protection of the frontier. He was a partner of Gen. John Sevier and Col. Richard Henderson in land speculations, and he served as public entry-taker, a position of great responsibility in a growing frontier settlement. At his death he was one of the largest landholders west of the Alleghany Mountains.
Achievements
Membership
He was one of the members of the North Carolina Provincial Congress of 1776.
Connections
About 1758 Carter married Elizabeth Taylor. He had one son, Landon Carter. Many of his descendants have filled important offices under the Tennessee or the Federal government.
