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Home | Office Holder | Martha Layne Collins
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After graduating from the University of Kentucky, Collins worked as a school teacher while her husband finished a degree in dentistry. She became interested in politics, and worked on the senatorial campaigns of Wendell Ford and Walter "Dee" Huddleston. She was chosen secretary of the state Democratic Party, and was elected clerk of the Kentucky Court of Appeals in 1975. During her tenure, the judicial system was restructured, and the Court of Appeals became the Kentucky Supreme Court; Collins continued as clerk of the renamed court. In 1979, Collins was elected lieutenant governor, serving under Governor John Y. Brown, Jr.. Brown was frequently out of the state, leaving Collins as acting governor for more than 500 days of her term. Collins defeated Jim Bunning to become Kentucky's first female governor in 1983. Her administration had two primary focuses: education and economic development. Her major accomplishment as governor was the use of economic incentives to bring a Toyota manufacturing plant to Georgetown, Kentucky. Toyota continued to invest heavily in Kentucky and the state experienced record economic growth under Governor Collins. Since her term as governor, she has taught at several universities, and served as president of Saint Catharine College from 1990 to 1996. She was rumored to be a candidate for the U.S. Senate or a position in the administration of President Bill Clinton prior to her husband's conviction. She presently serves on the boards of directors of several companies, including Eastman Kodak; she is also an Executive Scholar in Residence at Georgetown College and the chair and CEO of the Kentucky World Trade Center. |
