Former ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Gov. Jodi Rell, who came to power amid a scandal but forged her own path with a bipartisan approach, has died.
Her family announced she died Wednesday following a brief illness at a Florida hospital.
Rell was 78 years old.
The second female governor in ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø history, Rell served as lieutenant governor for 10 years and as a member of the state House of Representatives.
Funeral arrangements have yet to be announced.
Rell served as lieutenant governor under Gov. John Rowland, but became governor in July 2004, following Rowland's abrupt resignation amid a corruption investigation. That investigation would land him in federal prison.
"It has been a time of profound disappointment and disillusionment," Rell said during her in 2004.
"Yet while the people's trust in government has been weakened, I know that ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø is resilient," she said. "Ours is a strength that is centuries old, but ever new."
In 2006, Rell was elected in . She was sworn in the following year as ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø's 87th governor. She was the state's first female Republican governor.
Rell was born in Norfolk, Virginia, and attended Old Dominion University and Western ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø State University. She lived in Brookfield for many years.
Tributes pour in
The ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Senate Republican Caucus said that Rell "loved ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø."
“She loved public service, and she served our state with dignity and grace," the statement reads. "As our 87th governor, she had an incredible connection with ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø residents that helped her lead us through some very difficult days. She was the genuine article. She emphasized transparency in government. She was a leader and a role model for all our citizens."
U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, a Democrat who served alongside Rell in the state legislature from 1987 to 1994, called her approach to public office "principled" and "civil."
"During her time as governor, she succeeded by using the same approach to deal with difficult issues on a bipartisan basis, which explained her immense popularity both before and after her time as governor," Courtney said in a statement. "That civility, comity, and adherence to her oath of office are in many ways her enduring legacy which is greatly needed at a time of great division in our country."
Attorney General William Tong, a Democrat who formerly served in the state legislature, also recalled the uncertainty Rell inherited from her predecessor and Rell's leadership.
"She was a model of grace and stability," Tong said in a statement. "The governor was incredibly kind and gracious to me whenever I had the chance to engage with her. Her brand of thoughtful politics and leadership is sorely missed, and my hope is that elected leaders here and across the country will do better to follow her lead and example."
This is a developing story and will be updated. ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø Radio's Patrick Skahill contributed to this report.
