Former Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell, who took office to become the second female governor in state history after her predecessor resigned amid a corruption scandal, has died. She was 78.

Rell died Wednesday at a Florida hospital after a brief illness, her family said in a statement Thursday morning.

Rell, a Republican, served from 2004 to 2011. Known for her candor and compassion — she would personally call people when they faced hard times — Rell was lieutenant governor and took on the governorship during a challenging time for the state. Governor John G. Rowland was under federal investigation and facing impeachment.

Rowland eventually pleaded guilty to a single federal corruption charge and served 10 months in prison.

In a 2010 interview with The Associated Press, as she prepared to leave office, Rell pointed to her early efforts to “restore honor to the state of Connecticut” as one of her most important accomplishments.

“Our state had been through so much. And what we really needed to do, what we needed at that time, was to move forward, to once again make our residents proud of our state government,” Rell said, adding how her administration worked to reform state campaign finance laws, impose standards on government contracts, and overhaul the state ethics commission.

Rell was praised Thursday by figures in both major parties, including her successor, Dannel P. Malloy, a Democrat. “She steadied the ship and restored a sense of decency and honesty to the state government at a time when both were most needed,” he said in a statement.

Rell served as lieutenant governor for 10 years and as a member of the state House for 10 years, representing Brookfield and Bethel. After completing Rowland’s term, Rell won the election in 2006. She was the state’s last GOP governor to date.

Five months after taking office, Rell had one mastectomy and reconstructive surgery after breast cancer was discovered after a routine mammogram. Nine days after the surgery, Rell returned to the Capitol and was greeted by loud cheers and a prolonged ovation as she appeared to deliver her first State of the State address. Many of the lawmakers wore pink ribbons, signifying their support for breast cancer research.

“You know I’m embarrassed,” a smiling Rell said, pleading with the crowd to stop the applause.

Known as a moderate Republican who advocated bipartisanship, both during and after her time in office, Rell made a pointed reference to her illness during that speech when she called for an end to partisan politics.

“I was unexpectedly confronted with my own mortality when I was told I had cancer,” she said. “I look at things a little differently now, with different eyes. The eyes are more focused on what is really important, what is really necessary.”

Associated Press Writer Dave Collins contributed to this report.

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