Selwyn George Carrol (October 31, 1928 – December 21, 2010) was an American politician who served as a member of the

Alaska House of Representatives The Alaska House of Representatives is the lower house in the Alaska State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alaska. The House is composed of 40 members, each of whom represents a district of approximately 17,756 people pe ...

from 1972 to 1974.

Early life

Carrol was a native of

Altamonte Springs, Florida Altamonte Springs is a suburban city in Central Florida in Seminole County, Florida, Seminole County, Florida, United States, which had a population of 46,231 at the 2020 United States census. The city is in the northern suburbs of the Greater O ...

. He was raised in

Jacksonville Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

and attended

Stanton College Preparatory School Stanton College Preparatory School is a public preparatory high school in Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville, Florida, United States. Stanton College Preparatory School is a highly selective school that offers both the Advanced Placement Prog ...

. He joined the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

where he served in combat during the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

and the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

. Carrol moved to Alaska around 1958, while serving in the military.

Career

He settled in

Fairbanks, Alaska Fairbanks is a Municipal home rule, home rule city and the county seat, borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, United States. Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior Alaska, interior region of Alaska and the second la ...

, in 1966, and was a social worker affiliated with the Alaska Department of Public Welfare by August 1967, before joining the

Alaska Department of Corrections The Department of Corrections of the state of Alaska is an agency of the state government responsible for corrections. The department manages institutions, parole and probation. The current commissioner is Jen Winkelman. The agency has its headqu ...

as a supervisor of the youth detention center in the Alaska State Jail. Carrol was hired by the

Fairbanks North Star Borough School District The Fairbanks North Star Borough School District is a public school district based in Fairbanks, Alaska (USA). With a student enrollment of slightly over 14,000, it is the state's second largest public school district. The district encompasse ...

in May 1970 as an attendance officer, and later served the district as a middle school teacher.

Politics

Carrol won the Republican Party nomination for a seat on the

during the 1970 election cycle, but lost in the general election. He was elected a state representative in the 1972 election. Upon taking office, Carrol became the first African American member of the

Alaska Legislature The Alaska State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is a bicameral institution consisting of the 40-member Alaska House of Representatives (lower house) and the 20-member Alaska Senate (upper house). There a ...

to be affiliated with the Republican Party. In his single term on the Alaska House of Representatives, Carrol chaired the House Community and Regional Affairs Committee and was a member of the Labor and Management Committee. Carrol sought an

Alaska Senate The Alaska State Senate is the upper house in the Alaska State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alaska. It convenes in the Alaska State Capitol in Juneau, Alaska and is responsible for making laws and confirming or reje ...

seat in 1974, finishing first in a Republican Party primary, though he lost a close three-way race to incumbent

John Butrovich John Butrovich Jr. (March 22, 1910 – June 3, 1997) was an American businessman and politician from Alaska. He was a member of the Republican Party, and was that party's nominee in the 1958 gubernatorial election. Life and career Butrovich wa ...

. Carrol's 1976 campaign for reelection to the state house reported no deficit in September 1976. He received $8,050 in total donations during the election cycle, and spent the same amount on his campaign. Expenditures included a fine of $10, assessed by the Alaska Public Offices Commission. Carrol finished tenth of twelve total candidates for the seat. Carrol moved to

Hampton County, South Carolina Hampton County is a rural county located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,561. Its county seat is Hampton. It was named for Confederate Civil War general Wade Hampton, who in the late 1870s, ...

, in 1977, where he remained for the rest of his life and served as county auditor. Carrol died on December 21, 2010, and was buried at the

Beaufort National Cemetery Beaufort National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery in Beaufort, South Carolina. Managed by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, it encompasses , and as of 2024, had over 28,725 interments. History The original inter ...

in Beaufort.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carrol, Selwyn 1928 births 2010 deaths Burials at Beaufort National Cemetery Republican Party members of the Alaska House of Representatives African-American state legislators in Alaska County officials in South Carolina County auditors in the United States South Carolina Republicans Schoolteachers from Alaska United States Army personnel of the Korean War United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War United States Army soldiers 20th-century American educators African-American schoolteachers Politicians from Fairbanks, Alaska People from Hampton County, South Carolina Politicians from Jacksonville, Florida Military personnel from Jacksonville, Florida People from Altamonte Springs, Florida African-American people in South Carolina politics American social workers Military personnel from Alaska 20th-century African-American politicians 21st-century African-American politicians 20th-century members of the Alaska Legislature