Julian Carroll

Who is Julian Carroll?

Julian Morton Carroll is an American politician from the state of Kentucky. A Democrat, he is a member of the Kentucky Senate, representing Anderson, Franklin, Woodford, and part of Fayette counties. From 1974 to 1979, he served as the 54th Governor of Kentucky, succeeding Wendell H. Ford, who resigned to accept a seat in the U.S. Senate. He was the first Kentucky governor from the state's far-western Jackson Purchase region, and his running mate Thelma Stovall 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 1970 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.