Former President Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter cheer for their grandson, Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jason Carter, in 2014.
John William “Jack” Carter is Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter’s oldest son, according to the Jimmy Carter Library. He served in the military and is a businessman. He unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. Senate in 2006, and has a son who is now active in politics.
Jack Carters’s mother, Rosalynn, died on November 19, 2023, shortly after entering hospice care. She leaves behind four loving children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Here’s everything you need to know.
1. Jack Carter Worked For His Dad’s Peanut Warehouse Growing Up
Jack Carter was born July 3, 1947, in Portsmouth, Virginia, according to the Jimmy Carter Library. He attended Georgia Tech, Emory University, and Georgia Southwestern, and later earned a nuclear physics degree from Georgia Tech after joining the Navy. He received a Juris Doctor in 1975 from the University of Georgia.
For a time, he practiced law in Calhoun, Georgia, a Telegraph article published in 1977 reported. He helped with his dad’s 1976 presidential campaign and moved to Chicago in 1981, according to the Jimmy Carter Library. He’s worked for the Chicago Board of Trade, Citibank, and Tabor Commodities.
2. He Served in the Military & Was Discharged for Smoking Marijuana
In April 1968, Jack Carter enlisted in the Navy. However, in 1970 he was given a “less than honorable” general discharge after he and 53 classmates were caught smoking marijuana, according to a Telegraph article published in 1977. All three of Jimmy Carter’s sons admitted to smoking marijuana in the past and believed it was no worse than alcohol, The Telegraph reported. Jack Carter said this happened just before his dad was sworn in as governor of Georgia.
3. He Was Married Twice & Has 2 Children & 2 Stepchildren
Jack Carter has been married twice. First, he married Juliet “Judy” Langford Carter and they had two children, Jason and Sarah, Country Living reported.
Jason Carter unsuccessfully ran for governor of Georgia in 2014 and has also served as a state senator, Country Living shared. Sarah Carter volunteered for former President Barack Obama’s presidential campaign in 2008.
Jack Carter married Elizabeth Brasfield in 1992 and has two stepchildren, John Chuldenko and Sarah Reynolds, Country Living reported. Reynolds is a painter and Chuldenko is a film director.
4. He Started an Investment Consultant Firm
Jack Carter’s Campaign Facebook PageHenry, Jason, Jack, and Jimmy Carter.
Jack Carter worked for the Chicago Board of Trade and Citibank, before starting an investment company in Bermuda with his wife Elizabeth, according to the Jimmy Carter Library. He moved to Las Vegas in 2003.
5. He Unsuccessfully Ran for Senate in 2006
Carter tried his hand at politics and attempted to follow in his father’s footsteps. In 2006, he ran for United States Senate in Georgia as a Democrat. He ran after campaigning for John F. Kerry, Boston.com reported.
He explained why he was running, sharing: “I don’t like the way this country has been run… when Katrina hit and Bush said it’s going to cost $200 billion to rebuild New Orleans but don’t worry, we’re not going to raise taxes nor are we going to cut back on the pork in federal budget, the thing that came to my mind was ‘responsibility.’ These guys don’t have it.”
After losing, he wrote a heartfelt message on his campaign’s Facebook page, stating that he had no regrets and that he and his wife were inspired by their supporters’ efforts.