Current:Home > InvestFormer Kentucky Gov. Julian Carroll dies at age 92-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Former Kentucky Gov. Julian Carroll dies at age 92
View Date:2024-12-23 14:38:08
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Former Kentucky Gov. Julian Carroll, who led efforts to improve public schools and modernize the state’s judicial system — and who later rekindled his political career as a state legislator — died Sunday, his family said. He was 92.
Carroll ascended to the governorship during an era when Bluegrass State governors still dominated the legislative agenda, but his administration later became tainted by a kickback scandal that engulfed a former state Democratic Party chairman.
Carroll, a Democrat, served as governor from 1974 to 1979 and made a successful comeback in 2004 when he was elected as a state senator.
“As a family, it is with the heaviest of hearts that we grieve the loss of our beloved father, grandfather and great-grandfather,” his family said in a statement. “His steadfast faith and positive outlook on life ... and constant love for his family and his giving heart and warm embrace will forever be missed.”
Kentucky’s current Democratic governor, Andy Beshear, said in a social media post that Carroll “dedicated his career to public service. For decades he worked to support public education and those he represented in Frankfort.”
Carroll served five terms in the Kentucky House, including a stint as House speaker from 1968 to 1970. He was elected lieutenant governor in 1971 and ascended to the governorship in December 1974 when Gov. Wendell Ford resigned to take a seat in the U.S. Senate.
Running a year later as an incumbent, a rarity in a time when Kentucky governors were barred from succeeding themselves, Carroll easily won election to a full term of his own.
He governed during a time of prosperity. An oil embargo by Arab countries triggered a boom in the coal industry, and Carroll’s administration was awash in money from the coal severance tax.
Under Carroll’s leadership, private bail bondsmen were eliminated and the state invested heavily in teacher salaries and provided free textbooks. He established a School Building Authority to help poor school districts build new schools. Vocational and special education systems were also bolstered.
The state parks systems expanded under his leadership too, and Kentucky strengthened fire-safety laws following the deadly blaze that tore through the Beverly Hills Supper Club in northern Kentucky.
Carroll took on a national leadership role as chairman of the National Governors Association.
But his administration was scarred by a federal grand jury investigation after he left office. The investigation led to the indictment of the former chairman of the Kentucky Democratic Party, Howard “Sonny” Hunt, on 22 counts for his alleged participation in a fraud scheme involving workers compensation insurance. Hunt pleaded guilty and served time in prison. Carroll was never charged.
After leaving office in 1979, Carroll opened a law practice. He attempted a comeback in 1987 but finished far behind in the crowded Democratic gubernatorial primary. A few decades later in 2004, he won a seat in the Kentucky Senate, where he served until 2020. His booming voice became a staple during debates.
Julian Morton Carroll, a native of McCracken County in western Kentucky, was born on April 16, 1931, the third of 11 children born to to Elvie Buster and Eva Heady Carroll. He served as an Air Force attorney for three years after graduating from the University of Kentucky law school in 1956.
His wife, Charlann Harting Carroll, died in 2014 at the age of 81 after more than 60 years of marriage.
Funeral arrangements for the former governor were pending, his family said.
veryGood! (73437)
Related
- John Krasinski is People's Sexiest Man Alive. What that says about us.
- Denzel Washington Will Star in Black Panther 3 Before Retirement
- Stock market today: Asian stocks dip as Wall Street momentum slows with cooling Trump trade
- Ariana Grande's Brunette Hair Transformation Is a Callback to Her Roots
- Bradley Cooper and Gigi Hadid Enjoy a Broadway Date Night and All that Jazz
- 'Bizarre:' Naked man arrested after found in crawl space of California woman's home
- Ben Foster files to divorce Laura Prepon after 6 years, according to reports
- Why Kathy Bates Decided Against Reconstruction Surgery After Double Mastectomy for Breast Cancer
- Princess Kate makes rare public appearance after completing cancer chemo
- Sister Wives’ Meri Brown Shares Hysterical Farmers Only Dating Profile Video After Kody Split
Ranking
- Ben Foster Files for Divorce From Laura Prepon After 6 Years of Marriage
- Why Kathy Bates Decided Against Reconstruction Surgery After Double Mastectomy for Breast Cancer
- Mike Tyson-Jake Paul: How to watch the fight, time, odds
- MLS Star Marco Angulo Dead at 22 One Month After Car Crash
- Wendi McLendon-Covey talks NBC sitcom 'St. Denis Medical' and hospital humor
- Social media star squirrel euthanized after being taken from home tests negative for rabies
- Deion Sanders doubles down on vow to 99-year-old Colorado superfan
- Roster limits in college small sports put athletes on chopping block while coaches look for answers
Recommendation
-
Judge set to rule on whether to scrap Trump’s conviction in hush money case
-
Contained, extinguished and mopping up: Here’s what some common wildfire terms mean
-
Krispy Kreme is giving free dozens to early customers on World Kindness Day
-
Spirit Airlines cancels release of Q3 financial results as debt restructuring talks heat up
-
Pie, meet donuts: Krispy Kreme releases Thanksgiving pie flavor ahead of holidays
-
NFL overreactions: New York Jets, Dallas Cowboys going nowhere after Week 10
-
Certifying this year’s presidential results begins quietly, in contrast to the 2020 election
-
Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul fight odds will shift the longer the heavyweight bout goes