Tim Lee Carter
Encyclopedia
Tim Lee Carter was a Republican
member of the United States House of Representatives
for the commonwealth of Kentucky
from 1965 till 1981.
. He attended Western Kentucky State College
(now Western Kentucky University) in Bowling Green
, having pursued a pre-med curricula. Carter went on to earn his medical degree from the University of Tennessee
in 1937. He then volunteered to serve as a medic in World War II
, traveling with the Thirty-Eighth Infantry for over three and a half years. In 1940, Carter returned to practice medicine in Tompkinsville.
. Carter won the election and served in the U.S. House of Representatives until his retirement in 1981. As a veteran physician, he was considered a moderate-progressive Republican in Washington.
to Vietnam
along with ten other war-veteran congressmen on a "Speaker's Committee." Upon his return, he was asked by Johnson about his opinion of the state of the war. Carter went against the nine other delegates, stating: "No, Mr. President, you are not winning the war,". Carter later came to be known as the first Republican Congressman to call for the end of the Vietnam War
. Rising before the U.S. House of Representatives on August 28, 1967, Carter stated "Let us now, while we are yet strong, bring our men home, every man jack of them. The Vietcong fight fiercely and tenaciously because it is their land and we are foreigners intervening in their civil war. If we must fight, let us fight in defense of our homeland and our own hemisphere."
Later Carter was appointed by President Nixon
to the Shafer Commission, charged with making policy recommendations concerning drug abuse. The Shafer Commission recommended against criminalizing simple marijuana possession—a policy President Nixon flatly refused.
was the first elected woman sheriff
in Kentucky. Pearl's and Tim Lee's father, James C. Carter had served for forty years as Circuit Judge in South Central Kentucky. Their brother, James C. Carter, Jr., also served for forty years as judge following the tenure of their father.
Pearl Pace was an avowed supporter and friend of U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower
. She served in his administration as Chair of the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission
and was sometimes referred to as the second most powerful woman in Washington during her service, presumably after Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare Oveta Culp Hobby
of Texas
.
Pearl's son, Stanley Carter Pace, was taken as a prisoner of war
of the German Army during World War II. He later rose to the Chairmanship of TRW
, and, came out of retirement to return the giant defense contractor General Dynamics
to viability. The extended Carter family is still active in state and local politics in Monroe County, Kentucky.
A Carter nephew, M.C. "Doc" Keen of Burkesville
, served as sheriff of Cumberland County and ran unsuccessfully for the Kentucky State Senate in the Republican primary held on May 29, 1973. The eventual winner was United Methodist minister Doug Moseley
, a native of Bowling Green who then ran unopposed in the general election
held on November 6, 1973.
. Congressman Carter remained active in local, state and national politics until his death in 1987.
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
member of the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
for the commonwealth of Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
from 1965 till 1981.
Background
Congressman Carter was born in Tompkinsville, KentuckyTompkinsville, Kentucky
Tompkinsville is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 2,660 at the 2000 census. The city was named after Vice President Daniel D...
. He attended Western Kentucky State College
Western Kentucky University
Western Kentucky University is a public university in Bowling Green, Kentucky, USA. It was formally founded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1906, though its roots reach back a quarter-century earlier....
(now Western Kentucky University) in Bowling Green
Bowling Green, Kentucky
Bowling Green is the third-most populous city in the state of Kentucky after Louisville and Lexington, with a population of 58,067 as of the 2010 Census. It is the county seat of Warren County and the principal city of the Bowling Green, Kentucky Metropolitan Statistical Area with an estimated 2009...
, having pursued a pre-med curricula. Carter went on to earn his medical degree from the University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
in 1937. He then volunteered to serve as a medic in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, traveling with the Thirty-Eighth Infantry for over three and a half years. In 1940, Carter returned to practice medicine in Tompkinsville.
Election
In 1965, Carter sought the Republican nomination for Congress, following the retirement of Representative Eugene SilerEugene Siler
Eugene Siler was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky between 1955 and 1965. He was the only member of the House of Representatives to oppose the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution...
. Carter won the election and served in the U.S. House of Representatives until his retirement in 1981. As a veteran physician, he was considered a moderate-progressive Republican in Washington.
Vietnam war
In 1966, Congressman Carter was sent by President JohnsonLyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
to Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
along with ten other war-veteran congressmen on a "Speaker's Committee." Upon his return, he was asked by Johnson about his opinion of the state of the war. Carter went against the nine other delegates, stating: "No, Mr. President, you are not winning the war,". Carter later came to be known as the first Republican Congressman to call for the end of the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. Rising before the U.S. House of Representatives on August 28, 1967, Carter stated "Let us now, while we are yet strong, bring our men home, every man jack of them. The Vietcong fight fiercely and tenaciously because it is their land and we are foreigners intervening in their civil war. If we must fight, let us fight in defense of our homeland and our own hemisphere."
Policies
As reported in a 1977 issue of Time magazine, Physician-Congressman Tim Lee Carter put forth the first Republican plan for national health insurance.Later Carter was appointed by President Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
to the Shafer Commission, charged with making policy recommendations concerning drug abuse. The Shafer Commission recommended against criminalizing simple marijuana possession—a policy President Nixon flatly refused.
Family
Tim Lee Carter's sister, Pearl Carter PacePearl Carter Pace
Pearl Carter Pace was the first woman elected sheriff in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Pearl Carter had been born into a Tompkinsville, Kentucky, family devoted to public service...
was the first elected woman sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
in Kentucky. Pearl's and Tim Lee's father, James C. Carter had served for forty years as Circuit Judge in South Central Kentucky. Their brother, James C. Carter, Jr., also served for forty years as judge following the tenure of their father.
Pearl Pace was an avowed supporter and friend of U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
. She served in his administration as Chair of the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission
Foreign Claims Settlement Commission
The Foreign Claims Settlement Commission of the United States is a quasi-judicial, independent agency within the U.S. Department of Justice which adjudicates claims of U.S. nationals against foreign governments, either under specific jurisdiction conferred by Congress or pursuant to international...
and was sometimes referred to as the second most powerful woman in Washington during her service, presumably after Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare Oveta Culp Hobby
Oveta Culp Hobby
Oveta Culp Hobby was the first secretary of the US Department of Health, Education and Welfare, first commanding officer of the Women's Army Corps, and chairman of the board of the Houston Post....
of Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
.
Pearl's son, Stanley Carter Pace, was taken as a prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
of the German Army during World War II. He later rose to the Chairmanship of TRW
TRW
TRW Inc. was an American corporation involved in a variety of businesses, mainly aerospace, automotive, and credit reporting. It was a pioneer in multiple fields including electronic components, integrated circuits, computers, software and systems engineering. TRW built many spacecraft,...
, and, came out of retirement to return the giant defense contractor General Dynamics
General Dynamics
General Dynamics Corporation is a U.S. defense conglomerate formed by mergers and divestitures, and as of 2008 it is the fifth largest defense contractor in the world. Its headquarters are in West Falls Church , unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, in the Falls Church area.The company has...
to viability. The extended Carter family is still active in state and local politics in Monroe County, Kentucky.
A Carter nephew, M.C. "Doc" Keen of Burkesville
Burkesville, Kentucky
Burkesville is a city in Cumberland County, Kentucky, United States. Nestled among the rolling foothills of Appalachia and bordered by the Cumberland River to the south and east, it is the county seat of Cumberland County...
, served as sheriff of Cumberland County and ran unsuccessfully for the Kentucky State Senate in the Republican primary held on May 29, 1973. The eventual winner was United Methodist minister Doug Moseley
Doug Moseley
Douglas Dewayne Moseley, known as Doug Moseley , is a retired United Methodist minister and author who served as a Republican member of the Kentucky State Senate from 1974 to 1986...
, a native of Bowling Green who then ran unopposed in the general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
held on November 6, 1973.
Retirement
After his retirement, Congressman Tim Lee Carter, whose service to the rural sixteenth district in Kentucky led him to introduce himself as the "Congressman from Fountain Run to Kingdom Come," returned to live in Tompkinsville, KentuckyTompkinsville, Kentucky
Tompkinsville is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 2,660 at the 2000 census. The city was named after Vice President Daniel D...
. Congressman Carter remained active in local, state and national politics until his death in 1987.