Former Kentucky Governor Martha Layne Collins died on Saturday, Nov. 1. She was the first, and to date the only female governor of Kentucky. She grew up in Bagdad, attended school in Bagdad, Kentucky, graduated from the old Shelbyville High School and the University of Kentucky in Lexington. In 1959, she was the Kentucky Derby Queen, and at her death, she was also the oldest living former Derby Queen. Serving as Governor from 1983 from 1987. Funeral services for Collins were held this past Sunday, Nov. 16. Many came to speak at the funeral, including current Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear.
In a post following the funeral, Gov. Beshear stated, “Gov. Collins was a powerhouse, transforming our commonwealth through major accomplishments like bringing Toyota to our state for its first U.S. site. She created a foundation for us to build a strong future upon, and her legacy will continue to benefit Kentucky families for generations.”
“She was a proud Kentuckian, and she will be greatly missed. Kentucky, let’s remember to send up a thank you with our prayers as we remember a remarkable woman who made an undeniable difference in our state,” said Beshear.
Collins completed her student teaching at Scott County High School in Georgetown before marrying Dr. Bill Collins, a Georgetown College graduate who later attended the University of Louisville School of Dentistry. She went on to teach at Fairdale High School and Seneca High School in Louisville, as well as Woodford County Junior High in Versailles.
In 1971, she became active in Democratic politics, working on Wendell Ford’s gubernatorial campaign. She later served as the Kentucky Democratic Party’s coordinator of women’s activities and as one of the state’s two representatives on the Democratic National Committee.
In 1975, she was elected Clerk of the former Kentucky Court of Appeals. When the state reorganized its judicial system the following year, she became the first Clerk of both the newly formed Kentucky Supreme Court and the new Court of Appeals, overseeing one of the most significant transitions in the state’s judicial history. She also developed educational materials to help county officials, schools and the public understand the constitutional changes.
She served as lieutenant governor from 1979 to 1983, presiding over the state Senate and serving as vice chair and later chair of the National Conference of Lieutenant Governors. During her term, she acted as governor for more than a quarter of her tenure, gaining substantial executive experience. In 1983, she was elected governor, becoming the first, only to date, woman to serve as Kentucky’s chief executive.
During her term as governor from 1983 to 1987, she prioritized education reform and economic development. Her administration secured passage of a $300 million education reform package and helped create a record number of jobs through new industry investment. Collins played a key role in bringing Toyota Motor Manufacturing and several international supplier companies to Kentucky. Because of her work building international partnerships, she was later named Honorary Consul General of Japan in Kentucky, a role she held for several years.
Additionally, she expanded the Kentucky Governors Scholars Program begun by her predecessor, Governor John Y. Brown. During her administration, she created the Governors School of The Arts and the Bluegrass State Games. Her administration was also active and dedicated to many projects and initiatives in education reform, economic development, energy, and the environment.
Upon leaving the Governor’s office, she had served Kentucky in the judicial, legislative, and executive branches of state government. She then served as president of St. Catharine College for six years, as the Executive-in-Residence at the University of Louisville’s School of Business, and as the Director of the International Business and Management Center at the University of Kentucky’s Carol Martin Gatton College of Business and Economics. Governor Collins was a Harvard University Fellow in the John F. Kennedy School of Government at the Institute of Politics in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 1998, Governor Collins became Executive Scholar in Residence at Georgetown College, Georgetown, Kentucky, where she developed the Center for Commerce, Language and Culture, serving until 2013. She was honored by the Shelby County Schools, the educators and many of the citizens of Shelby County by naming the new high school “Martha Layne Collins High School.”
She has received numerous awards throughout her career, including but not limited to the Volunteers of America Award, the special Millennium Celebration Award from the Kentucky Commission on Women, the Junior Achievement Award of the Bluegrass Business Hall of Fame Laureate, the Kentuckians of New York Award, the John C. Stennis Award, and the Flame of Excellence Award presented by Leadership Kentucky. She is in the Hall of Fame at the University of Kentucky School of Human Environmental Services, and in 2007 was named a Woman of Distinction and was a University of Kentucky Distinguished Alumnae. She was also named Rural Kentuckian of the Year by the Rural Electric Cooperatives of Kentucky. In 2021, she was presented with the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce’s Woman in Leadership Award. While she has received so many thoughtful and meaningful accolades, honors, awards, most recently, she received the 2025 Henry Clay Medallion from the Henry Clay Memorial Foundation in Lexington. Her memberships also included the Isaac Shelby Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the First Families of Kentucky.
Governor Collins left a lasting mark on Kentucky, championing economic growth and expanding opportunities for women in public leadership. Her work helped improve the lives of families across the Commonwealth, and her legacy will continue to be felt throughout the years to come.
