Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On December 16, 1939, Beryl Franklin Carroll, Iowa’s 20th Governor and a person critical to conservation efforts focused on saving Iowa’s natural resources, died. Carroll’s life and career focused on conservation, education, and improving the quality of Iowa’s roads.
Born in Davis County as the second youngest in a thirteen-child farm family, Beryl Carroll attended schools in rural southern Iowa before eventually graduating from Northern Missouri State Normal College in Kirksville. After a few years of teaching, Carroll took over publishing responsibilities for the Davis County Republican.
Carroll first served in a public office as a State Senator representing Davis and Appanoose counties before ascending to the office of State Auditor in 1902. In 1908, he ran for governor and won by a massive majority. His inaugural address sought to inspire Iowans to conserve natural resources throughout the state. As coal mines quickly raced toward exhaustion throughout his home region of southern Iowa, Carroll recommended the creation of a commission to study Iowa’s natural resources.
The 33rd Iowa General Assembly responded by creating the Iowa State Drainage, Waterways, and Conservation Commission. Additionally, Carroll’s call for better roads resulted in the creation of the Good Roads Commission and the eventual formation of the Iowa Highway Commission. Finally, at Carroll’s insistence on more uniformity of education, the 34th Iowa General Assembly established a system of normal training in the state’s high schools. #IowaOTD #IowaHistoryDaily #IowaHistoryCalendar
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