Beryl Franklin Carroll (March 15, 1860 – December 16, 1939) was the 20th governor of Iowa from 1909 to 1913. He was the first native-born governor of Iowa.

Early Life

Carroll was born in

Davis County, Iowa Davis County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,110. The county seat is Bloomfield. Davis County is included in the Ottumwa, IA Micropolitan Statistical Area. History Davis County wa ...

, the second youngest of 13 to Willis and Christena Carroll. He graduated from the Missouri State Normal School in 1884, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Education. He would spend the next 5 years teaching, first as a principal in

Jamesport, Missouri Jamesport is a city in eastern Daviess County, Missouri, United States. The population was 559 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History A post office called Jamesport has been in operation since 1857. The community's name honors t ...

then as superintendent in

Rich Hill, Missouri Rich Hill is a city in southern Bates County, Missouri, and is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area within the United States. The population was 1,232 at the 2020 census. History Rich Hill was platted in 1880. The city was named in 1871 by ...

. On June 15, 1886, he married his fellow Truman State student Jennie Dodson. They had a son, Paul, born in 1889, and daughter, Jean, born in 1900. On January 1, 1891, he bought half of the ''Davis County Republican'', co-owning it with A. H. Fortune, the postmaster of Bloomfield at the time. In 1893, he bought out the full interest of the newspaper.

Political Career

He was a member of the

Iowa Senate The Iowa Senate is the upper house of the Iowa General Assembly. There are 50 seats in the Iowa Senate, representing 50 single-member districts across the Iowa, state of Iowa with populations of approximately 60,927 per constituency, . Each Senat ...

(1896–1900),

Postmaster A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...

Bloomfield, Iowa Bloomfield is a city and the county seat of Davis County, Iowa, United States. The population was 2,682 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Bloomfield was incorporated on January 3, 1855. On October 12, 1864 a small group of ...

(1898–1903), and

Iowa State Auditor The Iowa auditor of state is the state auditor of the government of Iowa, United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal ...

(1903–1909). He was elected Governor in 1908 and reelected in 1910. During his tenure, Carroll established the State Board of Education, helped in getting firefighters and police officers a pension plan and advocating for miners. On November 30, 1910, Governor Carroll was hailed as a hero for entering a burning building in

Des Moines Des Moines is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Iowa, most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is the county seat of Polk County, Iowa, Polk County with parts extending into Warren County, Iowa, Wa ...

and retrieving a trunk containing valuable property.

Later Life

After leaving office, Carroll worked in the life insurance business in Des Moines. He died in Bloomfield, and was buried at the Odd Fellows Cemetery in Bloomfield. His nephew, Herbert Carroll, was also an Senator from Iowa's 3rd Senate district from 1931 to 1933.

References

External links

*
National Governors Association profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carroll, Beryl F. 1860 births 1939 deaths Republican Party Iowa state senators Republican Party governors of Iowa Truman State University alumni People from Bloomfield, Iowa Iowa postmasters Iowa auditors of state Politicians from Des Moines, Iowa 20th-century Iowa politicians 19th-century members of the Iowa General Assembly