Carl Hillmer Francis was born in Portland, Oregon, in 1915, and grew up in Woodburn, Oregon. He attended Willamette University Law School, but financial difficulties led him to transfer to Northwestern College of Law. He earned his law degree in 1937 and passed the Oregon bar exam later that year. He practiced law in Dayton, Oregon. In 1939, he and Viola Brodahl were married; they later had two children. Francis was a Republican politician and served as mayor of Dayton from 1941 to 1942. He represented Yamhill County in the Oregon House of Representatives from 1943 to 1954, and in the Oregon Senate from 1955 until his resignation in 1962. In 1964, he was elected Yamhill County district attorney. Just over a year later, he returned to private practice until he was appointed to the Yamhill County District Court by Governor Mark Hatfield around 1966. He retired from the bench in 1973 and again returned to private practice. He retired from law practice in 1985. He was volunteered as a greeter for the Dayton Block House during his retirement. He died in 1995.