Martha Layne Collins, the only woman to be elected governor of Kentucky, died on Saturday. She was 88. The Democrat’s most visible legacy is a sprawling Toyota auto assembly.
Martha Layne Collins, the only woman to be elected governor of Kentucky, died on Saturday. She was 88. The Democrat’s most visible legacy is a sprawling Toyota auto assembly plant—arguably the biggest industrial plum of its day and the linchpin of her economic-development strategy. Collins also worked to overhaul the state’s public education system, the AP reports. «When I became governor, you have lots of priorities, but when I’d sit down and think about it, education always came back as the first thing you have to start with», the former teacher said in a 1992 University of Kentucky interview. «I feel like I made an impact in education and bringing in new jobs; I hope we made the people of Kentucky feel good about themselves.»
Collins served as governor from 1983 to 1987, at a time when Kentucky governors were limited to single terms. Gov. Andy Beshear’s office announced her death, calling her «a remarkable woman who made an undeniable difference.
