Late Kentucky Gov. Martha Layne Collins to lie in state at Old State Capitol
Late Kentucky Gov. Martha Layne Collins will lie in state at the Old State Capitol in Frankfort on Sunday, Nov. 9.
Gov. Andy Beshear announced at a press conference Wednesday that Collins would lie in state at the downtown Frankfort building from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday. The public will be able to pay their respects that time, he said.
Details for an official funeral service have yet to be finalized, Beshear said.
Collins was 88 years old.
Collins, a Democrat, was the 56th Governor of the commonwealth, serving from December 1983 to December 1987. She is remembered for becoming Kentucky’s first, and so far only, woman governor, and recruiting the massive Toyota manufacturing plant to Central Kentucky.
Beshear called her a “powerhouse” at the press conference.
The governor’s father, former Gov. Steve Beshear, was lieutenant governor under Collins.
“She created a foundation for us to build a strong future on, and her legacy will continue to benefit Kentucky families for generations,” Andy Beshear said. “She was a proud Kentuckian, and she’ll be greatly missed. As a kid, I got to see her in that role and the strength in which she governed. I remember getting the opportunity to go over to the governor’s mansion — she had a dog named Jinx.
“But (she was) just a great person who later would provide good advice, a lot of support, and would continue the great foreign direct investment ties she had to benefit the commonwealth for decades after she served as governor,” Beshear said.
The current state Capitol building is undergoing massive renovations, and operations there are expected to be halted for construction for several years.
Beyond her recruitment of Toyota, Collins is remembered for chairing the Democratic National Convention in 1984, speculation that she could have been a candidate for vice president, and her many electoral victories. Collins defeated giants of Kentucky Republican politics, winning her lieutenant governor position against Dean of the U.S. House Rep. Hal Rogers and defeating late U.S. Senator Jim Bunning.
Collins went down as the third woman to win a regular election to become governor in U.S. history.
“The idea of a woman running for governor was something people couldn’t really wrap their heads around. But she simply outworked everyone,” Crit Luallen, a former auditor, lieutenant governor and Collins staffer, said.
This story was originally published November 5, 2025 at 12:51 PM.
