She was lieutenant governor when her boss, Gov. John G. Rowland, resigned in a corruption scandal. The second woman to lead the state, she was later elected in her own right.

Gary Rose, political science professor at Sacred Heart University, reflects on Jodi Rell’s legacy as governor of Connecticut.

Former Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell has died at age 78. Rell’s family say she died Wednesday at a Florida hospital following a brief illness.