Carlyle Craig was born in Asheville (Buncombe County), North Carolina on October 30, 1892. Craig graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1916, launching a several decades-long career in the U.S. Navy. During World War I, he served on the USS Pueblo in the South Atlantic. He was discharged from the service on March 1, 1946. Craig died in Gresham, Oregon on July 3, 1971.