John Alexander Carroll


John Alexander Carroll was an American history professor who primarily taught at the University of Arizona from 1958 to 1967. While at Arizona, Carroll founded Arizona and the West in 1959 and was the journal's editor until 1963. Outside of academics, Carroll was a co-winner of the 1958 Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography for George Washington, Volumes I-VII.

Early life and education

Carroll went to Georgetown University to complete a program at the university's School of Foreign Service. He remained at Georgetown to earn a Doctor of Philosophy in 1956 with a specialty in American history.

Career

Carroll began his career with the United States Navy during World War II. In 1941, he was one of the survivors of the USS California sinking at Pearl Harbor and later received a Purple Heart medal. After the war, Carroll conducted research for Douglas Southall Freeman's biography on George Washington. After Freeman died during the biography's writing, Carroll and Mary Wells Ashworth wrote the last volume of Freeman's biography on Washington. Caroll transitioned from writing to academics and joined Del Mar College as the college's academic chair of history.
In September 1958, Carroll left Del Mar College to join the University of Arizona. While at the university, Carroll was a history professor before he created Arizona and the West in 1959, which was the successor of the Arizona Historical Review. He edited for the journal until 1963 when he resumed teaching at Arizona. Carroll primarily remained at the University of Arizona until 1967 when he went to teach at the University of Dallas. Additional universities Carroll taught at between the 1960s and 1980s include Texas Christian University and Troy State University. Outside of his teaching career, Carroll was a co-writer of Home of the Brave: A Patriot's Guide to American History in 1976. Additional works of Carroll's include Pioneering in Arizona and Reflections of Western Historians.

Awards and honors

Carroll was a co-winner of the 1958 Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography alongside Douglas Southall Freeman and Mary Wells Ashworth for their biography George Washington, Volumes I-VII.

Death

Carroll died on 17 December 2000.