Everett Archives: The Life of Carl Gipson
To be sure, there are charismatic, aggressive political leaders in this world. These “strong man” figures dominate and strut about, inflaming passions in their followers. By contrast, others lead quietly and affect change slowly, by example.
The late Carl Gipson was, by all accounts, a man of soft power. He was first elected to the city council in 1971 and served on the council for 24 years. He was the first black council member in Everett.
Certainly, he came from humble roots -- there was no power afforded to him inherently. Gipson overcame racial prejudice in the cultural climate of the early twentieth century, first in the American South, then in the pre-Civil Rights era Pacific Northwest. Yet through persistence and reliability, he was able to create a lasting change in our community. Today, his legacy is memorialized in the Carl Gipson Senior Center, a Volunteers of America-operated safe space for seniors.
The following is Carl Gipson’s story. Of course, it’s his story to tell and he tells it best. If you would like to listen to an interview with Mr. Gipson, you can download it from the KSER archives here.
Carl Gipson was born in 1924 in a rural area south of Little Rock (in audio archives you can hear Arkansas in his accent, an easygoing lengthening of his vowels). He went to segregated schools, played on a segregated football team, squeezed into one of the ten seats allotted to African Americans on the bus -- otherwise he stood. Desegregation wouldn’t arrive in Arkansas until 1957.
Carl and Jodie 1950’s // Northwest History Room archives
Carl married his high school sweetheart Jodie. They tried and failed to farm five acres of family cotton land in Arkansas. They only made $200 that year, at the tail-end of the Great Depression.
Carl and Jodie moved to California, then to Washington when Carl was pressed into military service. After the war, the couple bought a house in Everett. It was the only place they could find a bank willing to lend to them, based on their race. There were few black people in town and prejudice was common. The Gipsons were determined people.
They started a family and Carl found work as a foreman at the Sevenich motor dealership on Grand Avenue. Carl was a gifted leader. One day the mayor stopped by the auto shop and encouraged Carl to run for city council. Carl didn’t have any spare money for a political campaign, but he rallied funds through bake sales at local churches. He showed up to his political rally speeches wearing overalls and carrying a lunch box: the quintessential representative of the working man. Carl promised (and ultimately delivered) a new civic swimming pool and aid cars for local hospitals.
Everett City Council President 1977 // Northwest History Room archives
Carl served the city for 24 years, overseeing a transitional period in Everett’s history as the mills shut down and the local economy changed dramatically. Carl was a well-known figure in the city and excelled at business. At one point he had three businesses that he ran at the same time and he put all three sons through college. One son became a city council member in Brier, another son became a council member in Everett. This was a sort of Gipson dynasty.
Carl passed away in 2019. Today, the city’s senior center bears his name -- a meaningful tribute to a man who was dedicated to bettering his community.
Carl Gipson Senior Center // Northwest History Room archives
“Soft power” politicians may not get the same attention or press, but sometimes they can create longer-lasting change by staying out of the spotlight and focusing on policy for the sake of their constituency. Carl Gipson put the needs of his neighbors before his persona. We should all be so selfless and bold in this great city.
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