Contact: Sammy McDavid
Sen. Thad Cochran's longtime top aide will officially present his papers Oct. 12 to Mississippi State University.
Wiley K. Carter will be joined by Cochran for the 10 a.m. public program at Mitchell Memorial Library. A Jackson native, Carter is a 1958 Mississippi State political science graduate.
The collection contains correspondence, documents, photographs, clippings, and other memorabilia reflecting his long career. Carter has served with Cochran since 1974, first as manager of Cochran's successful re-election campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives, then as administrative assistant--the top staff position--once Cochran again took office.
When Cochran won election to the Senate in 1978, Carter continued in his top staff role. Today, he is among the longest serving administrative assistants in the upper house and senior in that position among the entire Mississippi congressional delegation.
"His papers document an active political life that began as a student at Mississippi State and continued through his association with many influential political figures in the state and nation," said Frances Coleman, interim dean of libraries. "The collection provides an overview of politics and issues in Mississippi and the United States for the last 40 years."
"Due to its documentation and illumination of historical figures and events," Coleman added, "this series significantly complements the library's earlier collections of Sen. John C. Stennis and Congressmen G.V. "Sonny" Montgomery, David Bowen and Charles Griffin."
Shortly after graduating from Mississippi State, Carter began his public service career with the Mississippi Democratic Party before becoming an assistant to Lt. Gov. Carroll Gartin. He later joined the staff of Rep. John Bell Williams (D-Miss.) before being named assistant director of the Mississippi Agricultural and Industrial Board, a forerunner to the current Department of Economic and Community Development.
As a student at Mississippi State, Carter was editor of the yearbook and student handbook. He was included in Who's Who and Elder Statesmen, and was a member of Sigma Chi social fraternity and Delta Sigma Pi and Pi Delta Epsilon honor societies.