Former Illinois governor Jim Edgar dies at 79

Former Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar, a popular two-term Republican credited with guiding the state into a period of greater financial stability in the 1990s, died Sunday, according to his family. He was 79.

Edgar died from complications related to his treatment for pancreatic cancer, his family said in a statement. He publicly disclosed his cancer diagnosis earlier this year.

A former state legislator who was Illinois secretary of state for a decade, Edgar was elected governor in 1990. The moderate Republican easily won reelection, including winning heavily Democratic Cook County, where Chicago is located.

Born in small-town Oklahoma, Edgar was much more reserved than his flashy, charming predecessor, James R. Thompson, who was the longest-serving governor in state history. At the time Edgar took office, the state was hundreds of millions of dollars in debt and paying its bills months late.

Amid a recession, Edgar pushed legislators to cut the state budget, making layoffs and cuts in popular programs. He also managed to fulfill his campaign promise of getting a temporary income tax surcharge made permanent, guaranteeing a stable source of money for public schools.

He surprised many political observers when he announced in 1997 that he would not seek a third term, considering his popularity. Republicans tried to draft him to run for office again, including bids for the U.S. Senate and again for Illinois governor. But he did not accept.

His stature in Illinois political history was further elevated after two consecutive successors, George Ryan and Rod Blagojevich, served time in prison for corruption.

Edgar went on to teach and served as president emeritus of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation, among other things.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said Sunday that flags in the state would fly at half-staff in Edgar’s honor.




(AP Photo/Seth Perlman, File)