Born in West Virginia and raised in Virginia, Tom Carper attended The Ohio State University on a Navy R.O.T.C. scholarship, graduating in 1968 with a B.A. in economics. He went on to complete five years of service as a naval flight officer and continued to serve in the Naval Reserve until retiring from military service in 1991 with the rank of captain.

After serving as a naval flight officer in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War and later as a P-3 aircraft mission commander, Tom Carper returned to Delaware in 1973 where he earned his M.B.A. at the University of Delaware.  His career in public service began in 1976 when he was elected to the first of three terms as Delaware's state treasurer. In 1982, he was elected to represent Delaware in the U.S. House of Representatives.

After serving five terms as a U.S. congressman, Tom Carper became the 78th governor of Delaware in 1993 and served two terms in that role.

On Jan. 3, 2001, Tom Carper became Delaware's junior senator. For the 110th Congress, beginning in January of 2007, Senator Carper gained a seat on the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. He retained his assignments and seniority on the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, the Environment & Public Works Committee and the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, as well as the Special Committee on Aging.

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