He was most recently a member of the Kentucky Senate, representing Anderson, Franklin, Woodford, Gallatin, and Owen counties.

As governor, Carroll increased funding for public education and promoted the use of coal as a means of alleviating the 1973 energy crisis.

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.

[2] His father was a tenant farmer, but shortly after the Ohio River flood of 1937, the family moved to Heath in McCracken County, where Buster Carroll sold tractor implements and in 1940 opened an automobile repair shop.

[11][14] He was active in civic affairs, including membership in the Jaycees and serving as charter president of the Paducah Optimists Club in 1962.

[11] In January 1960, a group of local businessmen approached Carroll about leading a campaign to allow the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to provide electricity to McCracken County.

Determined to bring a higher degree of decorum to the chamber's proceedings, Carroll opened the 1968 legislative session with a single, powerful whack of his gavel.

Carroll shattered three more gavels during the legislative session – he was finally given a sturdier one made of solid oak and Formica – but he brought order to the chamber's proceedings.

At the end of the session, a member of the opposing party declared from the floor, "The decorum of this House has improved 100 percent...

Combs, an Eastern Kentucky native, sought geographic balance for the ticket by selecting Carroll, from the far-west Jackson Purchase.

[19] Seven other Democratic candidates for lieutenant governor entered the race, the most formidable being sitting attorney general John B.

[1] In 1975, he sought a full term in office and won the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in a four-way primary against Jefferson County Judge Todd Hollenbach, former state Auditor Mary Louise Foust, and Robert McCreary Johnson.

[23] Carroll won the general election by a vote of 470,159 (63%) to 277,998 (37%), representing a record margin of victory in the Kentucky governor's race.

[25] His separately selected running mate, Thelma Stovall, became the first woman elected lieutenant governor of Kentucky.

[10] With considerable experience in the General Assembly – first as speaker of the House, and later presiding over the Senate as lieutenant governor – Carroll exercised a great deal of control over the proceedings of the legislature.

[11] The General Assembly passed the tax cut and began asserting its independence, especially in the Senate, which especially resented Carroll's tight control of previous sessions.

[24] Historian Lowell H. Harrison opined that the amendment made Kentucky's legal system "a model for the nation."

[27] As governor of what was the leading coal-producing state in the nation, Carroll advocated the use of coal to alleviate the 1973 energy crisis.

[28] He was called to testify before several congressional committees and served as an energy adviser to President Jimmy Carter.

[28] Among Carroll's other accomplishments were the initiation of a grant program to support the arts and the expansion of the state park system.

[28] Carroll was a supporter of a lemon law (that sought to provide a remedy for purchasers of cars that failed to meet quality standards) that was defeated in the 1976 legislative session.

[28] Two mine explosions in Letcher County killed 26 people, and the Beverly Hills Supper Club fire claimed 165 lives.

[28] Carroll formed the Department of Housing, Buildings, and Construction and strengthened the state fire marshal's office.

[26] He was not convicted of any wrongdoing, but his first state Democratic Party chairman, Howard P. "Sonny" Hunt, was after refusing to cooperate with the investigation.

[33] In 2003, Carroll actively lobbied the General Assembly to legalize casino-style gambling at the state's horse racetracks.

In advance of the 2011 legislative session, he unsuccessfully ran for the open position of Senate Democratic floor leader, losing to R. J. Palmer of Winchester.

[38] Carroll blamed his contentious relationship with Senate President David L. Williams as the reason his colleagues were hesitant to choose him for the post.

[40] On July 22, 2017, Spectrum News reported allegations by a male photographer that Carroll had groped him and propositioned him for sex in 2005.

[42] Carroll announced shortly after his 88th birthday that he would not run for re-election in 2020 and was endorsing State Representative Joe Graviss to succeed him.

[46][47] His memorial service would be held in the rotunda the same day as well, with his family and numerous Kentucky state officials delivering remarks.