OOLTEWAH, Tenn. — State Rep. Mike Carter, who represented Ooltewah and eastern parts of Hamilton County (District 29) has died after a six-month battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 67.
Carter, who was also an attorney and a businessman, served as a Hamilton County General Sessions Court Judge from 1997 to 2005. He was active in Republican politics for many years.
Carter received his B.S. in Pre-Law from Middle Tennessee State University in 1975. He received his J.D. from the University of Memphis in 1978.
He was first elected to the State House in 2012, and was re-elected for a fifth two-year term last November with no opposition.
In recent years, he had worked to ensure teacher pay raises, and to eliminate the emissions testing program in Hamilton County, a process that is currently under federal review.
In the summer of 2020, he was hospitalized with COVID-19, and while recovering from that illness, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He continued to serve in the state legislature until his condition worsened.
A family representative tweeted the news from Carter’s Twitter account Sunday morning.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee tweeted about Carter's passing Sunday morning saying Carter was a leader, friend and brother in Christ.
U.S. Representative Chuck Fleischmann (TN-03) shared a tweet offering his condolences, saying he will greatly miss his friendship.
The news came after Carter, who had been previously diagnosed with COVID-19, said he had some lingering effects and went to Vanderbilt in Nashville.
There, doctors discovered Carter’s cancer and attributed many of his symptoms to that new diagnosis.
At that time, Carter expressed his thanks to the doctors, who might not have found his cancer otherwise, and to family and friends for their support.
Carter spent time in the Intensive Care Unit in August 2020 when he was diagnosed with COVID-19.
He is survived by his wife Joan, and two sons. Funeral arrangements will be announced later.
This story was originally reported by WRCB.