Candy Carson

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Candy Carson

| image = Candy Carson 2014b.jpg

| caption = Carson in 2014

| birth_name = Lacena Rustin

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1953|8|19}}

| birth_place = Detroit, Michigan, U.S.

| death_date =

| death_place =

| party = Republican

| spouse = {{marriage|Ben Carson|1975}}

| occupation = {{hlist|Author|educator}}

| children = 3

| alma_mater = Yale University (BA)
Johns Hopkins University (MBA)

}}

File:The Bushes and the Carsons.jpg George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush in 2008]]

Lacena "Candy" Carson (née Rustin; born August 19, 1953) is an American author and educator. She is married to former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, with whom she co-founded the Carson Scholars Fund in 1994. Alongside her husband, she is the co-author of four books.{{cite news | url = http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/taking-ben-carson-seriously_823841.html?page=1| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150120043514/http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/taking-ben-carson-seriously_823841.html?page=1| url-status = dead| archive-date = January 20, 2015| title=Taking Ben Carson Seriously|magazine=The Weekly Standard |date=January 26, 2015| first=Fred|last=Barnes|accessdate=January 17, 2015}} During his 2016 run for President of the United States, Carson was active on the campaign trail by conducting live interviews and television appearances.{{cite web|url=https://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/presidential-campaign/257849-with-ben-carson-a-contender-a-look-at-wife-candy/ |title=With Ben Carson a contender, a look at wife Candy |newspaper=The Hill |date=October 23, 2015 |access-date=October 28, 2015}}

Early life and education

Born Lacena Rustin on August 19, 1953, in Royal Oak, Michigan. Carson was raised in the Episcopal Church by her mother.{{Cite news|url=https://washingtonpost.com/national/religion/candy-carson-wife-of-gop-candidate-sees-god-working-in-campaign-marriage/2016/01/05/810a470a-b3ec-11e5-8abc-d09392edc612_story.html|title=Candy Carson: Wife of GOP candidate sees God working in campaign, marriage|last=Banks|first=Adelle|date=January 5, 2016|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=April 6, 2022}} She graduated from Ferndale High School. Carson met her future husband, also a Detroit native, in the 1970s when both were students at Yale University.

Following her graduation from Yale, Carson attended Johns Hopkins Carey Business School where she earned her MBA.{{cite web|url=http://www.ibtimes.com/who-candy-carson-ben-carsons-wife-gets-compared-michelle-obama-2152131|title=Who Is Candy Carson? Ben Carson's Wife Gets Compared To Michelle Obama|author=Clark Mindock|date=October 22, 2015|work=International Business Times|accessdate=October 28, 2015}}{{cite news|author=Philip Elliott |url=https://time.com/3960523/the-gops-new-better-halves/ |title=The GOP's New Better Halves |magazine=Time |date=July 16, 2015 |access-date=October 28, 2015}}{{cite web|url=http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/228856/candy-carson |title=Candy Carson |publisher=Penguin Random House |date= |accessdate=October 28, 2015}}

A former concert violinist,{{cite web|url=http://www.opportunityvillage.org/blogs/latest-newst/39766913-concert-violinist-candy-carson-tours-and-performs-at-opportunity-village|title=Concert Violinist Candy Carson Tours and Performs at Opportunity Village|publisher=Opportunity Village |accessdate=March 2, 2017}} Carson performed the national anthem during her husband's campaign kick-off.{{cite web|url=http://heavy.com/news/2015/08/candy-carson-ben-republican-presidential-nominee-first-lady-scholars-primaries-debate/|title=Candy Carson, Ben's Wife: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know|author=Frederick Reese|work=Heavy.com|date=August 4, 2015|accessdate=October 28, 2015}} She has been a conductor for the University of Maryland Medical Center Chamber Players.{{cite web|url=http://jawbreaker.nyc/2015/09/6-things-you-should-know-about-ben-carsons-wife-lacena-candy-carson/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160131235222/http://jawbreaker.nyc/2015/09/6-things-you-should-know-about-ben-carsons-wife-lacena-candy-carson/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=January 31, 2016|title=6 Things You Should Know About Ben Carson's Wife Lacena 'Candy' Carson!|work=Jawbreaker|accessdate=March 2, 2017}}{{cite web|url=http://www.penguin.com/author/candy-carson/228856|title=Candy Carson |publisher=Penguin Random House |accessdate=March 2, 2017}}

Career

In the Baltimore area, Carson worked in real estate, trust administration and insurance.

Carson Scholars Fund

File:Dr. Ben Carson in New Hampshire on August 13th, 2015 1 by Michael Vadon 23.jpg]]

In 1994, Carson and her husband started the Carson Scholars Fund, designed to provide scholarships to students in grades 4–11 for "academic excellence and humanitarian qualities". The foundation was started after the Carsons read that U.S. students ranked second to last in terms of math and science testing among 22 countries, feeling that their efforts could assist in encouraging academic efforts as they noted schools award athletes with trophies whereas honor students received only "a pin or certificate". Recipients of the Carson Scholars Fund receive a $1,000 scholarship towards their college education and has awarded upward of 6,700 scholarships.{{cite web |author =Madeleine Buckley |url=http://carsonscholars.org/about/who-we-are |title =Our History |publisher=Carson Scholars Fund |accessdate=May 8, 2015}}{{cite news|last=Simmons|first=Deborah|url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/feb/01/carson-fund-helps-to-inspire-students/ |title=Carson fund helps to inspire students| work=The Washington Times |date=February 1, 2009}}

Carson is the facilitator of the scholarship fund.{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRzjQzwaOrU|title=Interview with Candy Carson|date=January 24, 2011|work=YouTube|accessdate=October 28, 2015}}{{cite news |url= http://www.philanthropyroundtable.org/topic/excellence_in_philanthropy/updates_on_past_winners_2001_2013_ben_carson|title =Updates on Past Winners, 2001-2013| work =Philanthropy Roundtable |accessdate=January 13, 2015}}

Personal life

Carson and her husband married in 1975. Together, they have three sons: Murray, Benjamin Jr., and Royceon, as well as several grandchildren. Until 2013, the couple lived in West Friendship, Maryland, and then relocated to Florida. Both she and her husband are long-time members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.{{cite web|url=http://www.notablebiographies.com/news/A-Ca/Carson-Benjamin-Solomon.html |title=Encyclopedia of World Biography: Biography of Benjamin S. Carson |publisher= Notable Biographies |accessdate=May 20, 2013}}{{cite web|url=http://www.redlandbaptist.org/sermon/ben-carson/|title=Ben Carson|publisher=Redland Baptist Church|accessdate=May 24, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140525215010/http://www.redlandbaptist.org/sermon/ben-carson/|archive-date=May 25, 2014|url-status=dead}} In line with her religious beliefs, Carson is a vegetarian.{{cite web|url=http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1990-06-14/features/9001130589_1_amino-acids-grains-food-processors|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117023812/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1990-06-14/features/9001130589_1_amino-acids-grains-food-processors|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 17, 2015|title=Grain, Bean Combinations Protein-rich|work=tribunedigital-sunsentinel|accessdate=October 28, 2015}}{{cite web|url=http://www.baltimoremagazine.net/2009/2/1/dr.-ben-carson-tells-his-life-story|title=Dr. Ben Carson Tells His Life Story |work=Baltimore |date=February 2009|accessdate=October 28, 2015}}{{cite web|url=http://www.agri-pulse.com/Ben-Carson-likes-his-burgers-and-his-bees-08242015.asp|title=Ben Carson likes his burgers - and his bees|work=agri-pulse.com|accessdate=October 28, 2015}}{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sgcAAAAAMBAJ&q=candy+carson+vegetarian&pg=PA37 |title=In Good Hands |magazine=Vegetarian Times |via=Google Books |date=June 1990 |accessdate=October 28, 2015}}

In 1981 Carson became pregnant with twins before miscarrying in the fifth month of her pregnancy.{{cite book |last1=Carson |first1=Ben |last2=Murphey |first2=Cecil |title=Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story |date=1990 |publisher=Zondervan |location=Grand Rapids, Michigan |isbn=0-310-29555-6 |page=105}} After this experience, when she became pregnant again in the following year, Carson was placed on bed rest by her doctor after the fourth month. She left her job and took this time to focus on self-care for the remainder of her pregnancy.

Carson has co-authored four books with her husband, including One Nation, which made The New York Times Best Seller list and spent five weeks at #1. Her memoir A Doctor in the House: My Life with Ben Carson was released at the beginning of 2016.

= Books, with Ben Carson =

{{cite book|title=America the Beautiful: Rediscovering What Made This Nation Great|isbn=978-0310330912|location=Scotland |publisher=Thomas Nelson |year=2013 |url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/americabeautiful0000cars_y9s0}}.
{{cite book|title=One Nation: What We Can All Do to Save America's Future|location=New York |publisher=Sentinel |isbn=978-1595231123|year=2014|url=https://archive.org/details/onenationwhatwec0000cars}}.
{{cite book|title=One Vote: Make Your Voice Heard|location=Carol Stream, IL |publisher=Tyndale House|isbn=978-1496406323|year=2014|url=https://archive.org/details/onevotemakeyourv0000cars}}
{{cite book|title=A More Perfect Union: What We the People Can Do to Reclaim Our Constitutional Liberties |location=New York |publisher=Sentinel |date= 2015|isbn=978-0698195004 |url=https://archive.org/details/moreperfectunion0000cars }}.
{{cite book|title=A Doctor in the House: My Life with Ben Carson |location=New York |publisher=Sentinel |year=2016 |isbn= 978-1595231246 |url=https://archive.org/details/doctorinhousemyl0000cars }}

Portrayal in popular media

Carson was portrayed by Aunjanue Ellis in the TNT made-for-TV movie Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story (first airdate February 7, 2009), starring Cuba Gooding, Jr. She starred as herself in the 1991 biographical documentary about her husband, Gifted Hands.{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5184142/?ref_=nmbio_mbio|title=Gifted Hands|date=January 1, 2000|publisher=|accessdate=March 2, 2017|via=IMDb}}{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QQBj2EucZk|title=Dr. Ben Carson Gifted Hands documentary|website=YouTube|date=April 5, 2013 |publisher=|accessdate=March 2, 2017}}

She was portrayed by Leslie Jones on the Saturday March 10, 2018, episode of Saturday Night Live.

Expenditure controversy

Carson received criticism for reportedly pressuring her husband's staff to spend up to $31,000 on a dining set in his Housing and Urban Development office in late 2017.[https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/27/us/ben-carson-hud-furniture.html "Ben Caron's HUD Spends $31,000 on Dining Set for His Office"]. The New York Times Retrieved July 9, 2019 This was discovered after Helen Foster, a former HUD chief administrative officer, filed a complaint alleging that she was demoted from her position because she refused to spend more than the legal $5,000 limit for office redecoration.[https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/27/politics/ben-carson-office-furniture-whistleblower/index.html '$5,000 will not even buy a decent chair':HUD staffer files complaint over Ben Carson office redecoration] CNN Retrieved July 9, 2019 The HUD inspector general found no evidence of undue influence by Mrs. Carson on any staffer. However, the Government Accountability Office ruled that, in making unauthorized purchases of a dishwasher and furniture for Ben Carson's office, HUD violated the law.{{Cite news |last=Bowden |first=John |date=12 September 2019 |title=HUD watchdog finds no misconduct by Carson in furniture controversy: report |work=The Hill |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/461087-hud-watchdog-finds-no-misconduct-by-carson-in-furniture-controversy/ |access-date=14 July 2023}}