Landon Carter was born on January 29, 1760 in Virginia and emigrated with his father to the region of the Watauga River in what is now northeast Tennessee, when he was about ten years old. He was the only son of John and Elizabeth (Taylor) Carter.
Landon was sent to school at Liberty Hall (now Davidson College), Mecklenburg County, N. C. , and was more adequately equipped for a public career than many of his Tennessee contemporaries.
The last years of the Revolution found Carter old enough for responsible military duties. In 1780 he served as a captain in John Sevier's expedition against the Cherokees and he participated in the battle of Boyd's Creek, one of the best fought engagements of the war on the frontier. In the same year he was with Charles Robertson's command in South Carolina. In 1781-82 he fought in that state under Gen. Sevier and also under Gen. Francis Marion. On his march homeward his company was ambushed by the Indians. In 1788 the North Carolina legislature appointed him a major of horse and in 1790 Gov. Blount of the Southwest Territory made him lieutenant-colonel commandant of the militia of the Washington District. In the Indian campaign of 1792-93 he served as colonel. In 1784 and again in 1789 Carter represented Washington County in the North Carolina House of Commons. The movement to erect what is now northeast Tennessee into the independent state of Franklin was cordially supported by Carter. He was secretary of the Jonesborough Convention of 1784 which forwarded the movement, and on the organization of Franklin he served as speaker of the first Senate and member of the first Council of State and later as secretary of state and state entry-taker. Under the government of the Southwest Territory, which was organized in 1790, he was treasurer of Washington District, one of the three districts into which the territory was divided. In 1796 he represented Washington County in the convention that adopted a constitution for the new state of Tennessee. The first legislature of the new state elected him treasurer for the two districts of Washington and Hamilton. The same legislature created Carter County which it named for him. The county seat, Elizabethton, was named for his wife. Carter added largely to the extensive land holdings that he inherited from his father. He received ten thousand acres from the state of North Carolina as a reimbursement for the expenses incurred by his father in connection with Col. Richard Henderson's purchase of lands from the Cherokees. Throughout his life he manifested an interest in education, serving as a trustee and incorporator of Martin Academy (later Washington College) and as trustee of Greeneville College, both located in northeast Tennessee.
He served against the Cherokees and participated in the battle of Boyd's Creek. Carter also represented Washington County in the North Carolina House of Commons, served as speaker of the first Senate, member of the first Council of State, as secretary of state and state entry-taker and was secretary of the Jonesborough Convention of 1784.
In 1784 he married Elizabeth Maclin.
