Edward Ward Carmack was born on 5 November 1858 in Sumner County, Tennessee. He studied law at Cumberland University and was admitted to the Tennessee Bar in 1879. He practiced in Columbia, Tennessee (including service as Columbia's City Attorney in 1881) until he was elected to the Tennessee Sate House of Representatives in 1884. He served in this capacity until 1888, when he joined the staff of the Nashville Democrat. He later worked with the Nashville American and served as the editor of the Memphis Commercial. He returned to politics in 1897, when he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. He served until 1901, when he was elected to the U.S. Senate. He was not re-elected in 1906 and was an unsuccessful candidate for nomination for Governor of Tennessee in 1908.

Following this defeat, Carmack returned to journalism (this time as editor of the Nashville Tennesseean) and used this newspaper to attack successful candidate Malcolm R. Patterson and Patterson supporter (and Carmack's former friend) Duncan Brown Cooper. The situation became violent on 9 November 1908 when Cooper and his son, Robin, met Carmack on a Nashville street. Carmack feared an ambush and opened fire, wounding Robin. Robin returned fire and killed Carmack. After his death, Carmack became a symbol for the Prohibition movement, which portrayed him as a slain martyr.