John Phillips Carlton

John Phillips Carlton was born in Edgecombe County, graduated from NC State in 1960 and earned his Juris Doctorate degree from UNC School of Law in 1963. He was the First Chief District Judge of the Seventh Judicial District (Nash, Wilson, and Edgecombe counties) and served as a judge for the NC Court of Appeals in 1979. For four years he was an Associate Justice of the NC Supreme Court, only the 2nd person in Edgecombe County to hold that position. A founding partner in the Poyner & Spruill Law firm (1983 – 1994), Carlton is CEO and founding Chairman of State Capital Global Law Firm Group. He authored a book on the history of his Edgecombe County hometown, From Pine Tops to Pinetops.

Inducted into Hall of Fame 2007