Community Involvement

Throughout his time in office, Julian Carroll remained dedicated to improving the standards of the Paducah and Frankfort communities. He was a lifelong member of the Paducah branch of the Optimist Club, even acting as president in 1962. As lieutenant governor, Carroll chaired the National Conference of Lieutenant Governors and the Legislative Research Commission. As governor, he chaired the National Governors Association.

Carroll also displayed a deep passion for the environment, chairing the Natural Resource and Environmental Management Committees of both the National Governors Association and the Southern Governors Association. These committees focused on matters pertaining to deforestation, pollution, conservation, energy, mining, and various other natural matters. During his time at the University of Kentucky, he worked for the Fayette County Agriculture Stabilization and Conservation Office, which worked to ensure that land in the Lexington area remained safe and usable for the area’s farmers. Carroll even took his conservationist efforts to the national level and testified before Congress as an energy advisor to President Jimmy Carter. [1] With his term as governor marred by floods and fires across Kentucky, it seemed only natural that Carroll felt a deep need to contribute to environmental efforts across the commonwealth and the nation in order to give back what so many of his taxpayers lost.

Many of Carroll’s policies also addressed concern for his citizens. [2] During his time as governor, Kentucky faced a steady decline in trade jobs and more people began pursuing college degrees. While Carroll acknowledged the importance of a college education, he also emphasized the vitality of labor: “We have to respond to the demand for labor within the society with socially accepted educational achievements that make one just as proud to be a plumber, or a mechanic, or a carpenter, or a filling station operator, as to be a computer analyst or a medical technician.” [3] Carroll aimed for policies that allowed Kentuckians to make a living for themselves and their families, with or without a degree.

In 1973, the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries, or OAPEC (now OPEC), implemented an embargo on all countries that had supported Israel, including the United States. [4] The sudden lack of oil supply resulted in a nationwide energy crisis. In the midst of the crisis, Carroll heavily championed the use of coal, an abundant natural resource in Kentucky, as a means of alleviating the stress that had been put on many of his residents. As energy advisor to President Carter, Carroll helped expand the use of coal to a nationwide scale, easing the pain that the energy crisis caused.

Outside of politics, Carroll was a deeply religious man and a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, where he often served as a lay speaker. In 1966, he was named moderator of the church’s Kentucky Synod, and he served on the church’s judiciary board. Later in life, Carroll joined the Assemblies of God, a group of Pentecostal denominations. In his retirement he would often be found watching sermons on the television. Carroll was also a Freemason and was a member of Hiram Lodge #4, located in Frankfort.

1. Kelsey Souto, “Former Ky, Gov. Julian Carroll remembers Jimmy Carter,” WKYT, February 21, 2023, https://www.wkyt.com/2023/02/22/former-ky-gov-julian-carroll-remembers-jimmy-carter/.
2. Bill Bartleman. "Commentary: Remembering the life of Julian Carroll," Kentucky Today, December 14, 2023, https://www.kentuckytoday.com/perspectives/commentary-remembering-the-life-of-julian-carroll/article_c3758e00-9a8a-11ee-ae1a-23e064444bdf.html.
3. Julian Carroll, "Remarks by Governor Julian M. Carroll, Kentucky" in Proceedings of the 28th SREB Legislative Work Conference Higher Education Legislative Issues '79 for the Southern Regional Education, https://archive.org/details/ERIC_ED179139/page/n33/mode/2up.
4. Bruce Schreiner, “Former Kentucky Gov. Julian Carroll dies at age 92,” Associated Press, December 10, 2023, https://apnews.com/article/former-kentucky-governor-julian-carroll-obituary-dead-785894176558f5ec06ee7f3af492b87c.