Family Life and Education
Carnahan was born in Birch Tree, Missouri, and grew up on a small farm near Ellsinore, Missouri, with his only sibling, Robert "Bob" Carnahan. During high school, his father, A. S. J. Carnahan, was the superintendent of Ellsinore schools and, in 1944, was elected to the United States House of Representatives.
Carnahan moved with his family to Washington, D.C., where he graduated high school and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from George Washington University. He entered the United States Air Force, rising to First Lieutenant, and served as a special agent for the Office of Special Investigation. He received a Juris Doctor from the University of Missouri School of Law in Columbia, Missouri, in 1959.
Carnahan married Jean Carpenter in Washington, D.C., on June 12, 1954. They had four children: Russ Carnahan, a member the U.S. House of Representatives for Missouri's 3rd District; Tom Carnahan, founder of Wind Capital Group, which builds wind farms; Robin Carnahan, Missouri Secretary of State (2004-present); and Roger "Randy" Carnahan, who piloted the plane and perished in the same crash that killed his father.
Read more about this topic: Mel Carnahan
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