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.

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.

Former Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell, who became the second female governor in the state after her running mate, Gov. John G. Rowland, resigned amid a corruption scandal, died Wednesday following a brief illness at a Florida hospital. She was 78.