Carlyle W. Begay is a Diné-American politician. A member of the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

, he represented the seventh district in the

Arizona State Senate The Arizona State Senate is part of the Arizona Legislature, the state legislature of the US state of Arizona. The Senate consists of 30 members each representing an average of 219,859 constituents (2009 figures). Members serve two-year terms w ...

which is the largest Legislative State District in the Continental United States.

Early life

Begay is Navajo and was born on the Navajo Nation and he is ''Tó’tsohnii'' (Big Water), born for ''Kinyaa’áanii'' (Towering House) clans. His maternal grandparents are ''Tl'izi lani'' (Many Goats clan). His paternal grandparents are also of the ''Tl'izi lani'' (Many Goats clan). Begay is a lifetime resident of Arizona and grew up on the Navajo Nation near Black Mesa and was raised under the teachings of his ancestry, instilling in him the importance of remembering the story of his people and carrying it on to his descendants. Begay graduated from the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. T ...

with a Bachelor of Science degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology and was a student in the Minority Medical Education Program at the

University of Arizona College of Medicine A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

. He also attended the

Arizona International College Arizona International College (AIC) was an American liberal arts college in Tucson, Arizona, that existed from 1996–2005. Background In the 1990s Arizona's public university system hosted two large public universities in Tucson and Phoenix (Un ...

's Natural Sciences and Mathematics program in

Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

;

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health is the public health graduate school of Johns Hopkins University, a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. As the second independent, degree-granting institution for research in epi ...

's Winter Institute, in Baltimore, Maryland; and the

Harvard School of Public Health The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health is the public health school of Harvard University, located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. The school grew out of the Harvard-MIT School for Health Officers, the nation's first ...

's Public Health Studies program in Boston, Massachusetts.

Political career

Begay succeeded Jack Jackson, Jr. in the

in 2013 after Jackson's resignation. On November 23, 2015, Begay announced that he switched from the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

to the

. In October 2020, he joined Navajo Nation Vice President

Myron Lizer Myron Lizer is an American politician and businessman serving as the 10th vice president of the Navajo Nation under President Jonathan Nez. Early life and education Lizer was born in Ganado, Arizona. He received his Bachelor of Business Admini ...

Donald Trump Jr. Donald John Trump Jr. (born December 31, 1977) is an American political activist, businessman, author, and former television presenter. He is the eldest child of Donald Trump, 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021, and his firs ...

and others in launching the ''Native Americans for Trump'' coalition in Williams, Arizona. He served as the co-chair of the Native Americans for Trump 2020 coalition, together with fellow Navajo Sharon Clahchischilliage.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Begay, Carlyle Living people Arizona Democrats Arizona state senators Navajo leaders Native American state legislators in Arizona 21st-century Native Americans Arizona Republicans University of Arizona alumni People from Tuba City, Arizona 21st-century American politicians Year of birth missing (living people)