Cullie M. Tarleton is a North Carolina businessman and politician raised in Union County, North Carolina. Tarleton graduated from Marshville High School. Tarleton is married to Sylvia Davis Tarleton. He currently lives in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. Tarleton is a retired broadcasting executive and general manager for WBTV, WBT (AM), and WCCB in Charlotte, North Carolina. He is also a veteran of the North Carolina Army National Guard and United States Army Reserve (1956–64). Tarleton is also a 32nd Degree Mason.