By Khalil Quotap

As the second female governor of Connecticut, Jodi Rell faced both personal and professional struggles but helped the state stabilize after controversy and corruption.

Early Life and Education

Governor M. Jodi Rell addresses the media at the Connecticut Preliminary Damage Assessment Kick-off meeting, 2007. – By Debra Young, National Archives. Used through Public Domain.

Mary Carolyn Reavis was born on June 16, 1946, in Norfolk, Virginia, and started going by the nickname “Jodi” in her teens. She attended Old Dominion University, where she met her future husband, Lou Rell, and left school before completing her degree to get married. The couple moved to New Jersey before settling in Brookfield, Connecticut. While in Connecticut, Rell enrolled at Western Connecticut State University (WCSU) but did not graduate. She later received honorary law degrees from both WCSU (2001) and the University of New Haven (2004).

Entry into Politics

After tutoring and working as a substitute teacher, Rell started her journey in politics working on Republican State Rep. David Smith’s campaign. Through Smith’s campaigns over the years, others encouraged Rell to seek office herself, and Smith supported her campaign when he decided not to seek another term. In 1984, Rell was elected as a Republican to take Smith’s seat in the Connecticut House of Representatives in the 107th district, representing Brookfield. While in office, Rell served as an assistant minority leader and deputy minority leader. She held her seat until 1995, when she was asked to serve in a higher office.

Lieutenant Governor to Governor

In 1994, fellow Republican John Rowland asked Rell to serve as his lieutenant governor. The pair won the election and started their terms in 1995. Rowland and Rell remained on the same ticket in 1998 and 2002; they won both times and continued to lead the state. In 2004, Rowland stepped down due to corruption charges, and Rell took over the position of governor—the second woman to hold the office in the state’s history.

Governorship

Jodi Rell at the Regional Advisory Council meeting at the Federal Reserve Bank in Boston with Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, Governor John Lynch of New Hampshire, and Governor Deval Patrick of Massachusetts, 2007. – By Marty Bahmonde, National Archives. Used through Public Domain.

Rell faced an uphill battle after Rowland stepped down and had to distance herself to establish her own identity as governor. While managing the fallout from the scandal, she also battled breast cancer. During her time in office, she worked to restore the public’s faith in the ethics and integrity of state leadership. She pushed for campaign finance reform to help reassure the public that the misconduct tied to her former running mate would not be repeated.

During her tenure, Rell prioritized investment in Connecticut’s youngest residents, expanding early childhood programs to help ensure more children started school with the tools they needed to succeed. In 2005, Rell signed major legislation to make Connecticut the first state in the country to adopt same-sex civil unions without a court mandate, but she required an amendment to define marriage between one man and one woman. Rell also worked with the General Assembly to keep the state’s finances in order, balancing the budget and showing how leadership could be both fair and fiscally responsible.

Due to high approval ratings from the public, Rell explored the idea of her own run for governor in the 2006 election. She was nominated by the Republican Party and defeated John DeStefano to stay in office. In 2010, Rell considered running for another term but ultimately decided not to seek re-election. Dannel Malloy was elected to succeed her, and Rell relinquished the office on January 5, 2011 after serving for over six years.

Rell died in Florida on November 20, 2024. As the state’s 87th governor, she earned respect on both sides of the aisle—and from the people of Connecticut—by stepping up during a difficult time for the state and for her own personal health.

Khalil Quotap is a former educator and currently the digital systems manager at CT Humanities.