I do recall this event were a dead governor won an election and his senate seat was appointed to his wife.
In U.S. history, when a sitting governor has died, their wife has never directly assumed the role of governor. However, if a governor dies or is elected to another office posthumously, the Lieutenant Governor ascends, and the spouse of the deceased may be appointed to a federal vacancy. [
1,
2,
3]
The most prominent local example of this occurred in Missouri following the 2000 election. [
1,
2]
- The Incident: Missouri Governor Mel Carnahan died in a tragic plane crash just three weeks before the 2000 election. [1]
- The Appointment: Because the deadline for ballots had passed, he remained on the ticket and was posthumously elected to the U.S. Senate. The acting Governor, Roger Wilson, subsequently appointed the late governor’s wife, Jean Carnahan, to fill his vacant U.S. Senate seat. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
https://abcnews.com/US/story?id=95265&page=1