CHICAGO (AP) — Former Illinois Governor Jim Edgar, a well-regarded two-term Republican acknowledged for steering the state towards greater financial stability during the 1990s, passed away on Sunday, as confirmed by his family. He was 79 years old.
Edgar succumbed to complications stemming from his treatment for pancreatic cancer, his family announced in a statement. Earlier this year, he had publicly revealed his cancer diagnosis.
“We are profoundly appreciative of the love, support, and kindness that so many have extended to Jim and our family over these past several months,” the statement expressed.
Before serving as governor, Edgar was a state legislator and spent a decade as the Illinois secretary of state. He was elected governor in 1990 as a moderate Republican and comfortably secured re-election, even winning in heavily Democratic Cook County, which encompasses Chicago.
He continued to be a respected figure and adviser within the party but grew uncomfortable with the Republican Party’s shift toward more conservative stances. Edgar was among the prominent Republicans who did not endorse Donald Trump’s presidency; he participated in an initiative backing Kamala Harris’ presidential bid called “Republicans for Harris” last year.
Originally from a small town in Oklahoma, Edgar was notably more reserved compared to his predecessor, the charismatic and flamboyant James R. Thompson, who had the distinction of being the longest-serving governor in the state’s history. When Edgar assumed office, Illinois was grappling with a sizeable debt of hundreds of millions of dollars and was facing significant delays in bill payments.
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.
“It wasn’t always pretty how it was done, but we got a lot done,” Edgar told The Associated Press in 1998. “We went after some pretty tough issues. We didn’t get them all, but we got most of them.”
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.
Edgar went on to teach and served as president emeritus of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation, among other things.
“By any standard, he was a Republican whose integrity guided his time in office and who managed one of the most successful periods in Illinois state government,” Bob Kustra, who served as Edgar’s lieutenant governor, said in a statement.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said Sunday that flags in the state would fly at half-staff in Edgar’s honor.
“Now more than ever, we should channel that spirit and resolve to live as Governor Edgar did: with honesty integrity, and an enduring respect for all,” Pritzker, a Democrat, said in a statement. “He will live on in the incalculable number of lives he touched and in the stronger institutions he helped build.”
Edgar is survived by his wife and two children.
His relatives said details on funeral plans would follow in the coming days.
