FRANKFORT, Ky. (WKYT) - Former Kentucky Governor Martha Layne Collins has died at 88 years old.

As the Commonwealth’s 56th Governor, serving from 1983 to 1987, Collins was the first and, to date, only woman to hold the state’s highest office.

Governor Collins’s administration was defined by her commitment to education and economic development.

Facing skepticism, Collins championed an unprecedented incentives package that successfully brought Toyota’s first North American manufacturing plant to Georgetown in 1986. The landmark achievement created thousands of jobs and attracted numerous Japanese automotive supply companies.

Beyond economic growth, Governor Collins also launched a statewide public education awareness campaign that ultimately led to the passage of a significant education

See Full Page