Benjamin Solomon Carson Sr.
Benjamin Solomon Carson Sr. (born September 18, 1951) is an American retired neurosurgeon, academic, author, and government official who served as the 17th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from 2017 to 2021. A figure of considerable renown in the medical field, he also embarked on a political career, notably running for President of the United States in the 2016 Republican primaries. Carson stands as one of the most recognized black conservatives in the United States.
Medical Career
Carson's ascent in the medical world was marked by significant achievements. In 1984, he was appointed the youngest chief of pediatric neurosurgery in the nation at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center, a position he held at the remarkable age of 33. His career reached a pinnacle in 1987 when he led the surgical team responsible for the first-known separation of conjoined twins joined at the posterior aspect of their skulls. Beyond this landmark achievement, Carson pioneered the first successful neurosurgical procedure performed on a fetus while still inside the womb. He developed innovative techniques for treating brain-stem tumors and significantly revitalized the practice of hemispherectomy, a surgical intervention aimed at controlling severe seizures. His contributions to medical literature are extensive, with over 100 publications in neurosurgery to his name. Upon his retirement from active practice in 2013, he held professorships in neurosurgery, oncology, plastic surgery, and pediatrics at the esteemed Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
Political Career and Public Recognition
Carson's transition into the national political consciousness was catalyzed by a speech he delivered at the 2013 National Prayer Breakfast. This address was widely interpreted as a critique of President Barack Obama's policies, resonating strongly with the conservative base. Following considerable speculation, Carson officially announced his candidacy for the 2016 Republican nomination for president in May 2015. He experienced a notable surge in early polls, even being considered a frontrunner in the fall of 2015. However, his performance in the subsequent primaries faltered, leading to his withdrawal from the race after Super Tuesday. He subsequently endorsed Donald Trump, who, upon his election, nominated Carson to serve as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Carson's nomination was confirmed by the United States Senate with a vote of 58–41 on March 2, 2017.
Honors and Accolades
Carson's distinguished career in neurosurgery has been recognized with numerous accolades, including over 70 honorary doctorate degrees and a multitude of national merit citations. In 2001, he was honored by CNN and Time magazine as one of the nation's twenty most prominent physicians and scientists. The Library of Congress, during its 200th-anniversary celebration, recognized him as one of its 89 "Living Legends." In 2008, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States. His election to the National Academy of Medicine in 2010 further underscored his esteemed position in the medical community. His life and career were the subject of the 2009 biographical television film Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story, where he was portrayed by Cuba Gooding Jr..
Early Life and Education
Born in Detroit, Michigan, on September 18, 1951, Benjamin Solomon Carson Sr. was the son of Robert Solomon Carson Jr., a World War II veteran, and Sonya Carson. His parents, both from large families in rural Georgia, married young. After his father's military service, they relocated to Detroit, settling in the affluent Indian Village neighborhood. Carson's father served as a Baptist minister and worked in a Cadillac automobile plant. Carson's older brother, Curtis, was born in 1949. The family later moved to a home in southwest Detroit.
Carson's early academic performance in Detroit Public Schools was average. A significant shift occurred when his mother discovered his father had another family. In 1959, his parents separated, and Carson moved with his mother and brother to Boston, where they lived with his maternal aunt and uncle in Dorchester and Roxbury. During this period, his mother experienced mental health challenges, including suicide attempts and psychiatric hospitalizations, and began working outside the home as a domestic worker. Carson and his brother attended a small Seventh-day Adventist church school in Boston.
Returning to Detroit in 1961, Carson and his brother initially struggled to catch up academically in the public school system, having, in Carson's words, "essentially lost a year of school." However, their academic performance improved dramatically after his mother limited their television viewing and mandated weekly book reports. Carson attended predominantly white schools, Higgins Elementary and Wilson Junior High, before moving back to his family's original home on Deacon Street in 1965 and then attending the predominantly black Hunter Junior High School. His childhood aspirations evolved from wanting to be a missionary doctor to aiming for the prestige of a psychiatrist, influenced by television portrayals, leading to a subscription to Psychology Today for his 13th birthday.
High School
By the ninth grade, the family's financial situation had improved, with his mother purchasing a new Chrysler and their reliance on food stamps diminishing. Carson attended the predominantly black Southwestern High School, graduating third in his class. During his high school years, he participated in the euphonium in the band, engaged in forensics (public speaking), was a member of the chess club, and achieved the rank of cadet colonel in the U.S. Army Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC). He also worked as a laboratory assistant in the school's science labs and, in the summer between his junior and senior years, at Wayne State University.
Carson has recounted instances of a violent temper during his youth. He described attempting to strike his mother with a hammer and, in ninth grade, trying to stab a friend over a dispute about changing the radio station; the blade reportedly broke against the friend's belt buckle. Following these incidents, Carson states he began applying verses from the Book of Proverbs concerning anger, after which he claims his temper issues ceased. He has repeated these anecdotes in books and public appearances, sometimes mentioning an attack with a combination lock. However, several childhood acquaintances have contested the extent of the violence he has described. Carson has defended his accounts, citing his mother's verification of the stabbing incident in a 1997 Parade article. He also recounted sheltering white students during a race riot at his high school following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968, though the Wall Street Journal was unable to corroborate this specific detail.
College and Medical School
Carson aspired to attend a college further afield than his brother, who enrolled at the University of Michigan. Initially considering Harvard and Yale, he ultimately applied to Yale after observing a Yale team defeat a Harvard team on the G.E. College Bowl television program. He was accepted and offered a full scholarship. In 1973, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from Yale, graduating with a respectable, though not top-tier, grade point average.
Carson's status regarding college student deferment during the Vietnam War is not explicitly detailed in his autobiographies. He notes his older brother received a low number in the 1969 draft lottery and enlisted in the Navy, while Carson received a high number in the 1970 lottery. Carson has stated he would have served if drafted but identified with anti-war sentiments and voted for George McGovern in 1972. He later described the Vietnam War as a "shame to our nation" in his 2012 book, America the Beautiful.
During the summers preceding medical school, Carson held various jobs, including roles at Ford Motor Company, a federal jobs program, Young & Rubicam Advertising, Chrysler, and Sennett Steel, as well as working as a radiology technician. At Yale, he served as a student police aide. He also claims to have been offered a scholarship to West Point, though it's noted he never applied.
A story from his autobiography, Gifted Hands, describes a supposed exam in a junior-year psychology course, "Perceptions 301," where the exams were burned, leading to a retest. Carson claims he was the only student to complete the significantly harder retest, which he states was an experiment to identify the "most honest student," earning him a $10 award and a photo in the Yale Daily News. However, investigations during his presidential campaign by The Wall Street Journal found no record of a "Perceptions 301" course at Yale at that time, nor his photo in the student newspaper. Carson attributed the discrepancy to co-authorship and memory lapses over decades.
Carson entered the University of Michigan Medical School in 1973. Initially, he struggled academically, with his faculty advisor suggesting he reduce his course load or withdraw. However, his grades improved to average by the end of his first year, and he began to excel by his second year, largely through independent study. He graduated with an M.D. in 1977 and was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society.
He then pursued his neurosurgery residency at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, completing his chief residency in 1983. This was followed by a year as a Senior Registrar in neurosurgery at the Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Perth, Western Australia.
Medical Career Highlights
Returning to Johns Hopkins in 1984, Carson was appointed director of pediatric neurosurgery. His surgical expertise encompassed traumatic brain injuries, brain and spinal cord tumors, achondroplasia, neurological and congenital disorders, craniosynostosis, epilepsy, and trigeminal neuralgia. He played a crucial role in reviving the hemispherectomy, a complex procedure to treat severe pediatric epilepsy, refining it in the 1980s.
The 1987 separation of conjoined twins Patrick and Benjamin Binder, joined at the head, brought Carson international fame. The 70-member surgical team's success was partly attributed to the twins having separate brains. The surgical team meticulously rehearsed the procedure using dolls. While the Binder twins returned to Germany, their long-term outcomes were reportedly challenging, with one in a vegetative state and neither achieving independent function. Despite these difficulties, the Binder surgery served as a foundational model for subsequent twin separations. Carson participated in four more high-risk conjoined-twin separations, including a successful 1997 operation on Zambian twins Joseph and Luka Banda. However, other separations resulted in fatalities or severe complications for the surviving twins.
The Binder surgery propelled Carson into a media spotlight, leading to publishing deals and a career in motivational speaking. He even made a cameo as a "head surgeon" in the 2003 Farrelly brothers comedy Stuck on You, which ironically starred conjoined twins.
In 1992, Carson appeared in an advertisement opposing a Maryland referendum that would have codified Roe v. Wade. He stated his opposition to abortion, though he later disavowed the advertisement, claiming he was unaware of its political nature and did not support making abortion illegal.
Carson announced his retirement from surgery in March 2013, stating a desire to "quit when I'm at the top of my game." His retirement officially commenced on July 1, 2013. In 2021, he joined Galectin Therapeutics to aid in the development of their galectin-3 inhibitor, belapectin.
Publications, Business Ventures, and Media Engagements
Carson is the author of numerous peer-reviewed articles and several bestselling books, published by Zondervan. His early works focused on his autobiography and his personal philosophies on success and religion.
From 2004 to 2014, Carson maintained a significant relationship with Mannatech, a multi-level marketing company specializing in dietary supplements. He delivered paid speeches for the company and credited their products with helping his prostate cancer symptoms in a 2004 address. This association drew scrutiny during his presidential campaign, particularly given Mannatech's $7 million settlement in 2009 over deceptive marketing claims. Carson's most recent paid speech for the company was in 2013, and his image appeared on their website in 2014. He also praised their supplements in a PBS special that was featured on the Mannatech site. A notable point of contention arose when Carson stated at a Mannatech distributor convention that the company had contributed to his endowed chair at Johns Hopkins Medicine. His campaign later clarified this as a "legitimate mistake" due to confusion. During a 2015 CNBC debate, Carson downplayed his involvement with Mannatech, calling claims of extensive ties "total propaganda" and stating he took the product because he believed it was good. PolitiFact rated his denial of involvement as "false" due to his paid speeches and promotional endorsements. Mannatech later stated they removed all references to Carson to comply with campaign finance regulations.
In July 2013, Carson began writing a weekly opinion column for The Washington Times. The following October, Fox News hired him as a contributor, a role he held until the end of 2014. In 2014, some House Republicans approached Carson about potentially running for Speaker of the House, a possibility he declined due to his presidential campaign preparations.
Carson and his wife reported substantial income between 2014 and 2015, derived from speeches, book royalties, media contributions, and board memberships at companies like Kellogg Co. and Costco. He served as chairman of the biotechnology company Vaccinogen from August 2014 until May 2015. He also sits on the board of Sinclair Broadcast Group.
2016 Presidential Campaign
Carson's political journey gained momentum following his keynote address at the 2013 National Prayer Breakfast, which was perceived as a critique of President Obama's policies. This speech garnered significant attention, leading to his participation in the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) and favorable showings in straw polls. In anticipation of a presidential run, he rejoined the Republican Party in November 2014 after a period as an independent.
On May 4, 2015, Carson officially announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination in Detroit. His campaign saw a significant surge in polls in late 2015, fueled by grassroots support and a strong fundraising base, often in small increments. The narrative of his life story, from humble beginnings to a celebrated neurosurgeon, formed a central theme of his campaign.
However, the intense scrutiny of a presidential campaign brought Carson's past statements and biographical details under a microscope. Media outlets raised questions about alleged discrepancies in his accounts, which Carson dismissed as a "witch hunt." His campaign also faced challenges with foreign policy knowledge and faced criticism for controversial statements on various issues.
The campaign's advertising strategy included a 60-second TV advertisement featuring his stump speech intercut with rap music, a move Carson later described as being done without his knowledge and one he found "horrifying."
Post-Campaign and Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
Following his withdrawal from the presidential race after Super Tuesday, Carson endorsed Donald Trump on March 11, 2016. He was subsequently appointed Vice Chairman of Trump's transition team. On December 5, 2016, Trump announced his intention to nominate Carson as the 17th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. His nomination was confirmed by the Senate on March 2, 2017.
During his tenure, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) faced criticism for being "directionless," with many key positions remaining unfilled. Policies enacted under Carson's leadership were seen by some as reversing Obama-era initiatives, including a scaling back of fair housing law enforcement. Carson's early remarks at HUD, likening slaves to involuntary immigrants, drew criticism, as did his assertion that the human brain could be electrically stimulated for perfect recall. Proposed federal budgets under his tenure also included significant cuts to HUD programs.
Carson's involvement with his son, Ben Carson Jr., in organizing HUD events raised ethical concerns, leading to an inspector general's inquiry into the appearance of potential conflicts of interest. During congressional testimony in May 2019, Carson famously confused the term "REO" (real estate owned) with the cookie brand "Oreo," a moment that drew considerable media attention. He later tested positive for COVID-19 in November 2020 after attending a White House election party, and initially self-treated with an unproven oleander extract before recovering with experimental antibody therapy.
A significant controversy arose regarding the furnishing of Carson's office, specifically a $31,000 dining set. While initially claiming limited involvement, emails later revealed that Carson and his wife had selected the set. Despite the controversy, HUD's inspector general cleared Carson of misconduct in September 2019. In September 2019, Carson faced accusations of making transphobic remarks regarding transgender individuals in homeless shelters, which he denied, characterizing the reports as mischaracterizations.
Other Endeavors and Personal Life
In 1994, Carson and his wife founded the Carson Scholars Fund, which provides scholarships to students demonstrating academic excellence and humanitarian qualities. To date, the fund has awarded over 6,700 scholarships. In recognition of his philanthropic work, Carson received the William E. Simon Prize for Philanthropic Leadership in 2005. In 2021, he established the American Cornerstone Institute, a conservative think tank. On September 24, 2025, Carson was sworn in as the National Advisor for Nutrition, Health, and Housing at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Carson and his wife, Candy, a fellow Detroit native, met at Yale and married in 1975. They have three sons and several grandchildren. Carson underwent surgery for prostate cancer in 2002. He and his wife are members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Carson has expressed beliefs about the United States playing a role in biblical prophecy and holds a view consistent with Adventist teaching on annihilationism regarding hell. He also adheres to a literal interpretation of Genesis, a stance that has drawn scrutiny. While adhering to Adventist dietary guidelines, he has occasionally consumed meat in recent years.
Awards and Honors
Carson's extensive list of awards and honors includes membership in prestigious organizations like the American Academy of Achievement and the National Academy of Medicine. He has received 38 honorary doctorate degrees and numerous national merit citations. He is an emeritus fellow of the Yale Corporation. A science and medicine high school in Detroit bears his name. Key honors include the Jefferson Award for Public Service (2000), designation as a Library of Congress Living Legend (2001), the Spingarn Medal from the NAACP (2006), the Presidential Medal of Freedom (2008), and the Ford's Theatre Lincoln Medal (2008). He was also recognized as one of "America's Best Leaders" by U.S. News & World Report in 2008.
Bibliography
Carson has authored or co-authored numerous books, including his autobiography Gifted Hands, Think Big, The Big Picture, Take the Risk, America the Beautiful, One Nation, and You Have a Brain. More recent works include A More Perfect Union and Created Equal.