Early Life, Education, and Early Career
Wharton was born and raised in Lebanon, Tennessee. A C Wharton shares his name with his grandfather, father, and eldest son. Despite some misconception, Wharton has stated that his first name is simply the letters A and C and does not stand for anything in particular.
In 1980, then-Shelby County Mayor Bill Morris appointed him as Chief Shelby County Public Defender, where his concern for the mentally ill in the criminal justice system gave birth to a national model program, known today as the Jericho Initiative. He chaired the county’s Jail Overcrowding Committee, which developed new ways to ease overcrowding without sacrificing public safety.
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