Born in Waterford, Vermont, Carpenter attended St. Johnsbury Academy, entered Williams College in 1845 and graduated in 1849.

[1] A Republican, Carpenter became "one of the foremost lawyers of the State, if not one of the leaders of the Bar".

[1] His second daughter, Edith, the wife of Bond V. Thomas, of Millville, New Jersey, wrote a prize-winning story for a competition sponsored by the New York Herald.

[1] Lilian Carpenter Streeter was a social reformer, clubwoman, and author.

He suffered a paralytic stroke while on the bench at Concord, and died a few days later.