Selwyn Carrol

Selwyn Carrol
Carrol in 1976
Member of the Alaska House of Representatives
In office 1972–1974
Personal details
Born	Selwyn George Carrol (1928-10-31)October 31, 1928 Altamonte Springs, Florida, U.S.
Died	December 21, 2010(2010-12-21) (aged 82) Hampton County, South Carolina, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Military service
Branch/service	United States Army
Rank	Master Sergeant
Battles/wars	Korean War Vietnam War

Selwyn George Carrol (October 31, 1928 – December 21, 2010) was an American politician who served as a member of the Alaska House of Representatives from 1972 to 1974.

Carrol was a native of Altamonte Springs, Florida. He was raised in Jacksonville and attended Stanton College Preparatory School.^[1] He joined the United States Army where he served in combat during the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Carrol moved to Alaska around 1958,^[2] while serving in the military.^[3]

He settled in Fairbanks, Alaska, in 1966,^[2][4] and was a social worker affiliated with the Alaska Department of Public Welfare by August 1967,^[4] before joining the Alaska Department of Corrections as a supervisor of the youth detention center in the Alaska State Jail.^[4] Carrol was hired by the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District in May 1970 as an attendance officer,^[4] and later served the district as a middle school teacher.^[5]

Carrol won the Republican Party nomination for a seat on the Alaska House of Representatives during the 1970 election cycle, but lost in the general election.^[6][7] He was elected a state representative in the 1972 election.^[8] Upon taking office, Carrol became the first African American member of the Alaska Legislature to be affiliated with the Republican Party.^[3] 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.^[9] Carrol sought an Alaska Senate seat in 1974, finishing first in a Republican Party primary,^[10] though he lost a close three-way race to incumbent John Butrovich.^[11][12] Carrol's 1976 campaign for reelection to the state house reported no deficit in September 1976.^[13] He received $8,050 in total donations during the election cycle, and spent the same amount on his campaign.^[14] Expenditures included a fine of $10, assessed by the Alaska Public Offices Commission.^[15] Carrol finished tenth of twelve total candidates for the seat.^[16]

Carrol moved to Hampton County, South Carolina, in 1977, where he remained for the rest of his life and served as county auditor.^[3] Carrol died on December 21, 2010,^[1] and was buried at the Beaufort National Cemetery in Beaufort.