Julian Carroll

Julian Carroll
Official portrait, 1975
Member of the Kentucky Senate from the 7th district
In office January 1, 2005 – January 1, 2021
Preceded by	Lindy Casebier (redistricting)
Succeeded by	Adrienne Southworth
54th Governor of Kentucky
In office December 28, 1974 – December 11, 1979
Lieutenant	Thelma Stovall
Preceded by	Wendell Ford
Succeeded by	John Y. Brown Jr.
46th Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky
In office December 7, 1971 – December 28, 1974
Governor	Wendell Ford
Preceded by	Wendell Ford
Succeeded by	Thelma Stovall
Member of the Kentucky House of Representatives
In office January 1, 1962 – December 7, 1971
Preceded by	James Miles
Succeeded by	Fred Morgan
Senior political offices Minority Whip of the Kentucky Senate In office January 6, 2015 – July 23, 2017 Preceded by Jerry Rhoads Succeeded by Dennis Parrett Chair of the National Governors Association In office August 29, 1978 – July 10, 1979 Preceded by William Milliken Succeeded by Otis Bowen Speaker of the Kentucky House of Representatives In office January 2, 1968 – December 7, 1971 Preceded by Shelby McCallum Succeeded by Norbert Blume
Constituency	4th district (1962–1964) 3rd district (1964–1971)
Personal details
Born	Julian Morton Carroll (1931-04-16)April 16, 1931 West Paducah, Kentucky, U.S.
Died	December 10, 2023(2023-12-10) (aged 92) Frankfort, Kentucky, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Charlann Harting ​ ​ (m. 1951; died 2014)​
Children	4
Education	Paducah Junior College University of Kentucky (BA, LLB)
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	Air Force

Julian Morton Carroll (April 16, 1931 – December 10, 2023) was an American lawyer and politician from the state of Kentucky. A Democrat, he served as the 54th governor of Kentucky from 1974 to 1979, succeeding Wendell H. Ford, who resigned to accept a seat in the U.S. Senate. He was most recently a member of the Kentucky Senate, representing Anderson, Franklin, Woodford, Gallatin, and Owen counties. He was the first Kentucky governor from the state's far-western Jackson Purchase region. Thelma Stovall, who served as lieutenant governor with him, was the first woman to be elected lieutenant governor of Kentucky.

After graduating from the University of Kentucky and spending three years as an Air Force lawyer, Carroll returned to McCracken County, Kentucky, where he gained acclaim for leading a campaign to allow the Tennessee Valley Authority to provide low-cost electricity to the county. He was elected to the first of five terms in the Kentucky House of Representatives in 1962 and served as speaker of that body from 1968 to 1970. He ran for lieutenant governor in 1971 on an informal ticket with former governor Bert T. Combs. Combs lost in the Democratic primary to Wendell Ford, but Carroll defeated his primary opponents and went on to win the general election. He was elevated to the governorship in December 1974, after Ford unseated moderate Republican U.S. Senator Marlow Cook. Carroll won a term as governor in his own right in 1975.

As governor, Carroll increased funding for public education and promoted the use of coal as a means of alleviating the 1973 energy crisis. He also oversaw a major reorganization of the state's judicial system following voters' approval of a constitutional amendment in 1975. Many natural and man-made disasters occurred during his term in office, including the Great Blizzard of 1978 and the Beverly Hills Supper Club fire, leading to better safety practices and stricter law enforcement in the state. When Carroll left office, both he and his predecessor were under the cloud of an investigation for an alleged insurance kickback scheme, but Carroll was not convicted of any wrongdoing. In 2004, he was elected to the Kentucky Senate. Re-elected in 2008 and 2012, he won a fourth term without opposition in 2016. He announced shortly after his 88th birthday that he would not run for re-election in 2020.