Charles Newell Carter, Jr. (born 9 May 1967) is a Democratic politician from North Carolina

North Carolina

North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

 who served two terms in the North Carolina General Assembly

North Carolina General Assembly

The North Carolina General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of North Carolina. The General Assembly drafts and legislates the state laws of North Carolina, also known as the General Statutes...

.

Carter was born in Asheville, North Carolina

Asheville, North Carolina

Asheville is a city in and the county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the 11th largest city in North Carolina. The City is home to the United States National Climatic Data Center , which is the world's largest active...

 and graduated from Asheville School

Asheville School

Asheville School is a private, coeducational, college-preparatory boarding school in Asheville, North Carolina. Founded in 1900, the Asheville School campus sits on in the Blue Ridge Mountains and currently enrolls 270 students in grades nine through twelve...

. He earned a bachelor's degree in international studies and history from Oglethorpe University

Oglethorpe University

Oglethorpe University is a private liberal arts college in Brookhaven, Georgia, an inner suburb of Atlanta. It was chartered in 1835 and named after James Edward Oglethorpe, the state's founder.-History:...

, after which he taught in the public schools of Buncombe County

Buncombe County, North Carolina

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 206,330 people, 85,776 households, and 55,668 families residing in the county. The population density was 314 people per square mile . There were 93,973 housing units at an average density of 143 per square mile...

. In 1996, he ran unsuccessfully for the North Carolina Senate

North Carolina Senate

The North Carolina Senate is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly.Its prerogatives and powers are similar to those of the other house, the House of Representatives. Its members do, however, represent districts that are larger than those of their colleagues in the House. The...

 in the 28th Senate District. http://www.app.sboe.state.nc.us/electionresults/results9/ncsenate.htm In 1998 and 2000, Carter was elected to the Senate, and he served through 2002.

More recently, he opened several Port City Java

Port City Java

Port City Java is a coffeehouse franchisor based in Wilmington, North Carolina. Founded in 1995, it has over 40 locations in the United States. The company was named #31 in Entrepreneur Magazine's Top 50 New Franchises.-External links:* *...

 cafes in the Asheville area. In May, 2007, Charles Carter broke away from the Port City Java corporation and created a locally owned chain of cafes known as Mountain Java. Now, Mountain Java stands as one of the few cafes in Asheville that roasts its own coffee beans.

Carter also serves on the advisory board of the North Carolina DonorsChoose

DonorsChoose

DonorsChoose.org is a United States based nonprofit organization that provides a way for people to donate directly to specific projects at public schools ....

organization. http://www.donorschoose.org/about/meet_the_team.html#nc