Carte Goodwin
Encyclopedia
Carte Patrick Goodwin is an American
politician
and attorney who served as a United States Senator
from West Virginia
. He is a member of the Democratic Party
. Goodwin was appointed by West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin
on July 16, 2010, to fill the vacancy created by the death of Robert Byrd
. Goodwin took the oath of office on July 20, 2010. Manchin won the special election
on November 2, 2010, to serve the remaining two years in Byrd's term. Goodwin's Senate term expired on November 15, 2010, when Manchin was sworn in. He is now the youngest living former Senator.
Before his appointment as United States Senator, Goodwin served as Governor Manchin's chief counsel during his first term in office, before leaving to return to his private practice as an attorney. Goodwin also served as the chairman of the West Virginia School Building Authority, under Manchin, and as chair of the Independent Commission on Judicial Reform. A native of Mount Alto
, West Virginia
, Goodwin graduated from Emory University
in Atlanta
, Georgia
and Marietta College
in Marietta
, Ohio
, before moving to Charleston
, West Virginia with his family.
Time
named Goodwin one of the rising stars of American politics under 40, in their list of ″40 under 40″.
. Goodwin graduated from Ripley High School in 1992. Goodwin graduated magna cum laude from Marietta College
in 1996 where he earned a B.A.
in Philosophy. While at Marietta, Goodwin joined the Delta Upsilon fraternity. He then attended Emory University School of Law
in Atlanta, graduating in 1999. Goodwin is a member of the honor society Order of the Coif
.
for 4th Circuit
Judge
Robert King
. In 2000 he joined the family law firm
, Goodwin & Goodwin, which was founded shortly after the end of World War II, working there until 2005. He rejoined the firm in 2009.
's chief counsel during Manchin's first term in office from 2005 to 2009, leaving to return to private practice. He was at one time the chairman (appointed by Manchin) of the West Virginia School Building Authority.
In June 2009, Manchin appointed Goodwin chair of the Independent Commission on Judicial Reform, which studied the need for changes in the judicial system in West Virginia.
On July 16, 2010, Manchin appointed Goodwin to the U.S. Senate seat vacated by the death of Senator Robert Byrd
, until a special election
could choose a permanent successor. Goodwin stated that he would not seek election to the seat in his own right, and that he would leave office once a new senator had been elected. Observers suggested that Goodwin had been appointed as a placeholder
for Manchin, who subsequently ran for the seat and won the special election to complete Byrd's term.
Goodwin was sworn into the Senate on July 20, 2010, and quickly joined with fellow Democrats to pass an extension of unemployment benefits.
Goodwin has been mentioned as a possible candidate for U.S. Representative from West Virginia, as a challenger to Rep. Shelley Moore Capito
.
, as Rockefeller's state director. The Goodwins have two children, a son, Wes and a daughter, Anna.
In 2008, Goodwin was named one of the "Ten Most Successful Young Executives in West Virginia" by Executive magazine.
Many of Goodwin's family members are lawyers. His uncle is Joseph Robert Goodwin
, chief judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia
. His late father chaired the West Virginia University
board of governors. His cousin, R. Booth Goodwin
, was appointed United States Attorney
for the Southern District of West Virginia
by President Barack Obama
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and attorney who served as a United States Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
from West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
. He is a member of the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
. Goodwin was appointed by West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin
Joe Manchin
Joseph "Joe" Manchin III is the junior United States Senator representing West Virginia. Manchin, a Democrat, was Governor of West Virginia from 2005 to 2010...
on July 16, 2010, to fill the vacancy created by the death of Robert Byrd
Robert Byrd
Robert Carlyle Byrd was a United States Senator from West Virginia. A member of the Democratic Party, Byrd served as a U.S. Representative from 1953 until 1959 and as a U.S. Senator from 1959 to 2010...
. Goodwin took the oath of office on July 20, 2010. Manchin won the special election
United States Senate special election in West Virginia, 2010
The 2010 United States Senate special election in West Virginia was held on November 2, 2010. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd died in office on June 28, 2010. Democrat Governor Joe Manchin appointed Carte Goodwin to temporarily fill the vacancy. Goodwin pledged to not run for...
on November 2, 2010, to serve the remaining two years in Byrd's term. Goodwin's Senate term expired on November 15, 2010, when Manchin was sworn in. He is now the youngest living former Senator.
Before his appointment as United States Senator, Goodwin served as Governor Manchin's chief counsel during his first term in office, before leaving to return to his private practice as an attorney. Goodwin also served as the chairman of the West Virginia School Building Authority, under Manchin, and as chair of the Independent Commission on Judicial Reform. A native of Mount Alto
Mount Alto, West Virginia
Mount Alto is an unincorporated community in far western Jackson County, West Virginia, USA. It lies along West Virginia Route 331 northwest of the city of Ripley, the county seat of Jackson County. Its elevation is 709 feet . Mount Alto had a post office, which closed on June 20,...
, West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
, Goodwin graduated from Emory University
Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of...
in Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
and Marietta College
Marietta College
Marietta College is a co-educational private college in Marietta, Ohio, USA, which was the first permanent settlement of the Northwest Territory. The school offers 42 majors along with a large number of minors, all of which are grounded in a strong liberal arts foundation...
in Marietta
Marietta, Ohio
Marietta is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Ohio, United States. During 1788, pioneers to the Ohio Country established Marietta as the first permanent American settlement of the new United States in the Northwest Territory. Marietta is located in southeastern Ohio at the mouth...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, before moving to Charleston
Charleston, West Virginia
Charleston is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is located at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha Rivers in Kanawha County. As of the 2010 census, it has a population of 51,400, and its metropolitan area 304,214. It is the county seat of Kanawha County.Early...
, West Virginia with his family.
Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
named Goodwin one of the rising stars of American politics under 40, in their list of ″40 under 40″.
Early life and education
Goodwin was born to Ellen Carte (née Gibson) and Stephen Patrick Goodwin, and raised in rural Mount Alto, West VirginiaMount Alto, West Virginia
Mount Alto is an unincorporated community in far western Jackson County, West Virginia, USA. It lies along West Virginia Route 331 northwest of the city of Ripley, the county seat of Jackson County. Its elevation is 709 feet . Mount Alto had a post office, which closed on June 20,...
. Goodwin graduated from Ripley High School in 1992. Goodwin graduated magna cum laude from Marietta College
Marietta College
Marietta College is a co-educational private college in Marietta, Ohio, USA, which was the first permanent settlement of the Northwest Territory. The school offers 42 majors along with a large number of minors, all of which are grounded in a strong liberal arts foundation...
in 1996 where he earned a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in Philosophy. While at Marietta, Goodwin joined the Delta Upsilon fraternity. He then attended Emory University School of Law
Emory University School of Law
Emory University School of Law is a first-tier US law school that is part of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. It is ranked #30 among ABA-approved law schools by the 2012 U.S. News & World Report...
in Atlanta, graduating in 1999. Goodwin is a member of the honor society Order of the Coif
Order of the Coif
The Order of the Coif is an honor society for United States law school graduates. A student at an American law school who earns a Juris Doctor degree and graduates in the top 10 percent of his or her class is eligible for membership if the student's law school has a chapter of the...
.
Law career
After graduating from law school, Goodwin clerkedLaw clerk
A law clerk or a judicial clerk is a person who provides assistance to a judge in researching issues before the court and in writing opinions. Law clerks are not court clerks or courtroom deputies, who are administrative staff for the court. Most law clerks are recent law school graduates who...
for 4th Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit is a federal court located in Richmond, Virginia, with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:*District of Maryland*Eastern District of North Carolina...
Judge
United States federal judge
In the United States, the title of federal judge usually means a judge appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate in accordance with Article II of the United States Constitution....
Robert King
Robert Bruce King
Robert Bruce King is a federal judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.- Early life and education :Born in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, King earned a bachelor's degree from West Virginia University in 1961 and a law degree from West Virginia University in 1968.-...
. In 2000 he joined the family law firm
Law firm
A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to represent clients in civil or criminal cases, business transactions, and other...
, Goodwin & Goodwin, which was founded shortly after the end of World War II, working there until 2005. He rejoined the firm in 2009.
Political career
Goodwin served as Governor Joe ManchinJoe Manchin
Joseph "Joe" Manchin III is the junior United States Senator representing West Virginia. Manchin, a Democrat, was Governor of West Virginia from 2005 to 2010...
's chief counsel during Manchin's first term in office from 2005 to 2009, leaving to return to private practice. He was at one time the chairman (appointed by Manchin) of the West Virginia School Building Authority.
In June 2009, Manchin appointed Goodwin chair of the Independent Commission on Judicial Reform, which studied the need for changes in the judicial system in West Virginia.
On July 16, 2010, Manchin appointed Goodwin to the U.S. Senate seat vacated by the death of Senator Robert Byrd
Robert Byrd
Robert Carlyle Byrd was a United States Senator from West Virginia. A member of the Democratic Party, Byrd served as a U.S. Representative from 1953 until 1959 and as a U.S. Senator from 1959 to 2010...
, until a special election
United States Senate special election in West Virginia, 2010
The 2010 United States Senate special election in West Virginia was held on November 2, 2010. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd died in office on June 28, 2010. Democrat Governor Joe Manchin appointed Carte Goodwin to temporarily fill the vacancy. Goodwin pledged to not run for...
could choose a permanent successor. Goodwin stated that he would not seek election to the seat in his own right, and that he would leave office once a new senator had been elected. Observers suggested that Goodwin had been appointed as a placeholder
Placeholder (politics)
In politics, a placeholder is an official appointed temporarily to a position, with the understanding that they will not seek office in their own right....
for Manchin, who subsequently ran for the seat and won the special election to complete Byrd's term.
Goodwin was sworn into the Senate on July 20, 2010, and quickly joined with fellow Democrats to pass an extension of unemployment benefits.
Goodwin has been mentioned as a possible candidate for U.S. Representative from West Virginia, as a challenger to Rep. Shelley Moore Capito
Shelley Moore Capito
Shelley Moore Capito is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2001. She is a member of the Republican Party...
.
Personal life
Goodwin's wife Rochelle works for West Virginia's now-senior U.S. Senator Jay RockefellerJay Rockefeller
John Davison "Jay" Rockefeller IV is the senior United States Senator from West Virginia. He was first elected to the Senate in 1984, while in office as Governor of West Virginia, a position he held from 1977 to 1985...
, as Rockefeller's state director. The Goodwins have two children, a son, Wes and a daughter, Anna.
In 2008, Goodwin was named one of the "Ten Most Successful Young Executives in West Virginia" by Executive magazine.
Many of Goodwin's family members are lawyers. His uncle is Joseph Robert Goodwin
Joseph Robert Goodwin
-Early life and education:Born in Ripley, West Virginia, Goodwin received a B.S. from West Virginia University in 1965 and was in the United States Army, Adjutant General Corps during the Vietnam War, from 1965 to 1967. He received a J.D...
, chief judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia
United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia
The United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia is a trial-level federal court. Decisions from the Court may be appealed to the Fourth Circuit Fourth Circuit, except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to...
. His late father chaired the West Virginia University
West Virginia University
West Virginia University is a public research university in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA. Other campuses include: West Virginia University at Parkersburg in Parkersburg; West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Montgomery; Potomac State College of West Virginia University in Keyser;...
board of governors. His cousin, R. Booth Goodwin
R. Booth Goodwin
Robert Booth Goodwin II , known professionally as R. Booth Goodwin II is the United States Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia.-Early life and education:...
, was appointed United States Attorney
United States Attorney
United States Attorneys represent the United States federal government in United States district court and United States court of appeals. There are 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands...
for the Southern District of West Virginia
United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia
The United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia is a trial-level federal court. Decisions from the Court may be appealed to the Fourth Circuit Fourth Circuit, except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to...
by President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
.