[1][2][3] Born into a family of the Unitarian faith,[4] his father Samuel was the Coventry prison keeper for many years and his mother Jane was the daughter of Josiah Corrie, a minister in Kenilworth.
[5] Marrying Sir Francis Ronalds' youngest sister Maria in 1833, they had four children: Alexander, Hugh,[6] John Corrie and Jane.
[10][11] Some sources suggest that Carter was instrumental in the decision to establish the Railway Clearing House in 1841, when he and his good friend Robert Stephenson advised the directors of L&BR and B&DR, two of the founding members, on its merits.
[12] Carter was also a solicitor to the bill enabling L&BR to amalgamate with other companies to form the London & North Western Railway (L&NWR) in 1846.
This happened for example with the Worcester & Hereford Railway, where he spoke on behalf of both companies at shareholder meetings and served as solicitor to its parliamentary bills.
[3][17] Some of his last parliamentary contests enabled Midland to build its own routes into London to its new St Pancras station and to Scotland on its Settle & Carlisle line.