Former Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell, who took over the office to become the second female governor in state history after her running mate resigned amid a corruption scandal, has died. She was 78.
Rell died Wednesday following a brief illness at a Florida hospital, her family said in a statement released Thursday morning.
Rell, a Republican, was the state's 87th governor and served from 2004 until 2011. Known for her candor and compassion — she would personally call people whenever they were facing difficult times — Rell took on the state's top job during a challenging period for the state. Her former running mate, Gov. John G. Rowland, was under federal investigation and faced impeachment at the time.
In an interview with The Associated Press in 2010, when she prepared to leave office, Rell pointed to her early efforts to “restore honor to the state of Connecticut” as one of her major accomplishments.
“Our state had been through so much. And what we really needed to do, what we needed at the time, was to move on, to once again make our residents proud of our state government,” Rell said, adding how her administration worked to reform the state’s campaign finance laws, impose standards for state contracts, and overhaul the state’s ethics commission.
Rell served as lieutenant governor for 10 years and as a member of the state House of Representatives for 10 years, representing Brookfield and Bethel. After finishing out Rowland's term, Rell won the 2006 election.
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Associated Press Writer Dave Collins contributed to this report.
Susan Haigh, The Associated Press
