Elbert N. Carvel, 94; Delaware Governor Supported Civil Rights
Elbert N. Carvel, 94, who as a mid-20th century governor of Delaware championed civil rights and battled the death penalty, died Sunday at his home in Laurel, Del., of unspecified causes.
Carvel, for whom the Carvel State Office Building in Wilmington was named, was the state’s first lieutenant governor to be elected governor. Known as “Big Bert,” the 6-foot, 7-inch Carvel was also the only Delaware governor to serve split terms: from 1949 to 1953 and from 1961 to 1965.
A liberal Democrat, he saw capital punishment abolished during his first term, and during his second vetoed legislation to reinstate it. But despite his poignant comment, “Who among us wishes to meet our maker with the blood of our brother on our hands?” the Legislature overrode the veto, returning the death penalty to Delaware.
Born on New York’s Long Island and brought up in Maryland where he earned engineering and law degrees, Carvel moved to Delaware to join his wife’s family business, Valliant Fertilizer Co. in Laurel. He became president and also founded Milford Fertilizer Co. in Milford.
Last year, he donated $2 million for a University of Delaware agricultural research center now under construction.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
