George Carroll (January 6, 1922 – January 14, 2016) was an American lawyer who was an important civic figure in

Contra Costa County, California ) of the San Francisco Bay , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1 = State , subdivision_name1 = California , subdivision_type2 ...

, and the city of

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

.Richmond courthouse named for retired judge George Carroll
contracostatimes.com, February 24, 2009; accessed January 17, 2016.

Biography

Carroll was born on January 6, 1922, in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

. Later he served in the

United States Military The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and subsequently attended college and law school by use of the

G.I. Bill The Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, commonly known as the G.I. Bill, was a law that provided a range of benefits for some of the returning World War II veterans (commonly referred to as G.I.s). The original G.I. Bill expired in 1956, bu ...

. He relocated to

, in 1954. He was the first black lawyer in

, California. In 1961 Carroll became the first African American elected to the city council (1961–1964)Richmond's Black History Corner
city of Richmond, California website; accessdate January 17, 2016. and later became the first black mayor of Richmond (1964–65) or any large American city. Afterwards George Carroll became the first black judge in Contra Costa when he was appointed to the Bay Municipal Court by Governor

Pat Brown Edmund Gerald "Pat" Brown (April 21, 1905 – February 16, 1996) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 32nd governor of California from 1959 to 1967. His first elected office was as district attorney for San Francisco, and he w ...

in 1965.

Legacy

The Richmond Courthouse and a park in the Pt. Richmond District are named in his honor.Parks and park facilities
city of Richmond website, accessdate January 17, 2016.

Death

Carroll died in his sleep on January 14, 2016, in

Richmond, California Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was municipal corporation, incorporated on August 7, 1905, and has a Richmond, California City Council, city council.

, at the age of 94.Richmond's first black mayor George Carroll dies at 94
, richmondstandard.com; accessed January 17, 2016.

References

External links

Black History of Richmond
African-American judges American judges Mayors of Richmond, California 1922 births 2016 deaths African-American mayors in California Richmond City Council members (California) California city council members People from Brooklyn American military personnel of World War II 20th-century African-American politicians African-American men in politics 20th-century American politicians Military personnel from New York City 20th-century American judges African Americans in World War II 21st-century African-American people {{US-judge-stub