Rubin Carter

Rubin "Hurricane" Carter (born May 6, 1937), middleweight boxer from 1961?1966, is better known for his controversial convictions (1967, 1976) for the alleged murder of three people at the Lafayette Grill, Paterson, New Jersey, in June, 1966, and his subsequent release from prison (1985).

Pre-boxing life

Carter grew up in Paterson, New Jersey, a middle son among seven children. His parents had a stable, long-lasting marriage, provided well for the family, and raised their other six children without significant problems. Only Rubin seems to have acquired a criminal record, one that resulted in his being sentenced to a juvenile reformatory for assault and robbery shortly after his 14th birthday.

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Carter escaped from the reformatory in 1954 and joined the United States Army at age 17. Several months after he completed infantry basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, he was shipped to Germany, where, according to his 1974 autobiography, he became interested in boxing. However, Carter was a poor soldier, and was court-martialed four times for charges ranging from insubordination to being AWOL. In May 1956, the Army discharged him as "unfit for military service", well short of his scheduled date of separation.

Related Topics:
United States Army - Basic training - Fort Jackson, South Carolina - Germany - AWOL

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Shortly after his return to New Jersey, Carter was arrested for his reformatory escape, and served an additional year; he was released in 1957. Less than two months later - and probably after drinking heavily - Carter robbed and brutally beat three people, including a middle-aged woman. For these crimes, Carter spent four years in Trenton State Prison and Rahway State Prison.

Related Topics:
New Jersey - Rahway State Prison

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