John Joyce Carter was born on June 16, 1842, in Ireland. After immigrating to the United States with his sister, he joined the Union Army and fought in the Civil War. Following two injuries and the loss of five horses in battle, he completed his service on August 2, 1865. In 1871, he moved to Titusville, Pennsylvania, where he entered the oil industry and eventually founded the Carter Oil Company. Carter retired as president in 1915 at the age of 73 and passed away on January 3, 1917. From 1893 to 1949, Carter Oil produced over 500 million barrels of oil and became one of the largest oil companies in the United States.