George Carroll made history in 1964, as the first African American to be elected mayor of Richmond, California which made him the first black mayor of any large American city. Carroll was born on January 6, 1922, to unnamed parents in Brooklyn, New York. Growing up, Carroll joined the United States Military during World War II. After the war, Carroll attended college and law school then relocated to Contra Costa County, California in 1954 which he became the city first Black attorney.
In 1961, Carroll became the first African American elected to the city council, serving in that position until 1964. In 1964, Carroll became the first African American mayor of Richmond, California, this also make him the first African American of any large city in the United States. He remained mayor of the city until 1965 where he would appoint by the Bay Municipal Court Governor Pat Brown as the first Black judge in Contra Costa County. He was re-elected in 1970, 1976, and 1982. He would serve on the bench for 20 years until he retired in 1985. Carroll also had the opportunity to be promoted to Superior Court but rejected it because he wanted to continue to be served in Richmond rather than moving to Martinez, California.
In 2009, Carroll attended President Barack Obama Inauguration. Obama even wrote him a letter in thanking him for his life in service and opening doors for him. Carroll was a founding member of the Judicial Council of the National Bar Association and a member of the National Association of the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He is also a member of the Sigma Pi Phi and Omega Psi Phi Fraternities. He was a part of other organization including of the Charles Houston Bar Association, California Judges Association, American Bar Association, American Judicature Society, World Association of Judge of the World Peace Through Law Center, Board of Governors of the United Bay Area Crusade, Richmond Boys Club, and the Neighborhood House of North Richmond.
Carroll died on January 14, 2016, in Richmond, California at the age of 94. The Richmond Courthouse and a park in the Point Richmond District are named in his honor. Carroll was one time married to Lorna Caroll where the couple would later divorce. Caroll would remarry in 1976 to Janie Caroll.
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“George Carroll,” Contra Costa County,https://www.contracosta.ca.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/3638; “George Carroll,” Congressman George Miller,
; “George Carroll,” City of Richmond, https://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/1137/Richmonds-Black-History-Corner
