English statesman, a vigorous opponent of Robert Walpole (Walpole, Robert, 1st earl of Orford) (who was chief minister from 1721 to 1742). A leading minister from 1742 to 1744, Carteret directed England's involvement against France in the War of the Austrian Succession (1740–48).

The son of George, 1st Baron Carteret, and Lady Grace Granville (created Countess Granville in 1715), he succeeded his father as Lord Carteret in 1695 at the age of five and entered the House of Lords in 1711. He was appointed secretary of state in 1722, but because he voiced opposition to Walpole, he was sent away from London in 1724 to serve as lord lieutenant of Ireland. Upon his return in 1730 he became one of Walpole's most eloquent and prominent critics in the House of Lords, attacking in particular Walpole's policy of accommodation with Spain.

At the same time Carteret retained the confidence of King George II, who appreciated Carteret's pro-Hanoverian policy and appointed him secretary of state after Walpole's fall in 1742. By vigorously pursuing the unpopular War of the Austrian Succession (Austrian Succession, War of the) in support of the Austrian princess Maria Theresa, Carteret left himself open to the charge that he was sacrificing the interests of Great Britain to those of the king's Hanoverian possessions. Working behind the scenes, Walpole forced the reluctant king to dismiss Carteret in 1744. Carteret inherited the earldom from his mother shortly before his fall; he remained in the government but had little further influence on policy. He was succeeded by his only surviving son, Robert, who died without issue in 1776, when the earldom became extinct.