Jim Edgar, who served two terms as Illinois governor after serving two terms as secretary of state, passed away Sunday after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer earlier this year. He was 79.
“It is with heavy hearts we share the news that our beloved husband, father and grandfather Jim Edgar passed away this morning in Springfield from complications related to treatment for pancreatic cancer,” a family statement read. “We are deeply grateful for the love, support and kindness so many have shown to Jim and our family over these last several months.”
A popular governor and secretary of state, Edgar was born in 1946 in Oklahoma and was raised in Charleston, Illinois, where he later would attend school at Eastern Illinois University, where he was elected student body president, according to his website.
In the 1960s, while working for Senate GOP Leader W. Russell Arrington, Edgar lived in south suburban Park Forest.
Edgar was first elected to the Illinois House in 1976, and was named former Gov. Jim Thompson’s legislative director in 1979. He was then appointed to serve as Secretary of State in 1981, and won re-election twice to the position.
During his tenure as secretary of state, he had pushed for Illinois to adopt stricter laws against drunk driving, including lowering the blood alcohol limit to 0.10. It has since been lowered to 0.08. He also advocated for a national drinking age of 21.
When Thompson opted not to run for re-election in 1990, Edgar announced his candidacy and after winning a contested primary defeated Democratic candidate Neil Hartigan to win the governorship.
As governor, Edgar pushed for caps on property taxes for Illinois homeowners and paid down billions in debt as he addressed significant budget deficits, according to his website.
Edgar chose not to run again in 1998, and had served on a wide variety of boards and in different charitable organizations, including as the president emeritus of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation.
Despite his failing health, Edgar still made public appearances in the last months of his
life, including in August at his 2025 Edgar Fellows program in Urbana, though the
former governor had to make an emergency room trip during the gathering.
A moderate Republican, Edgar became symbolic of a near-extinct breed of GOP politics
in the years since he left office. He wasn’t the only elected Republican in Illinois with a
pro-choice stance on abortion, but Edgar and his contemporaries were still in the
minority at a time when the GOP was still a powerhouse in state politics.
But as hardline Republican politics became ascendent nationally, the GOP’s power in
Illinois dwindled, making Edgar somewhat of a political nomad. The former governor
became a vocal critic of President Donald Trump, and last year campaigned with other
Republicans for then-Vice President Kamala Harris’ unsuccessful bid for the White
House.
Edgar’s bipartisan leadership program and disavowing hard-right figures like Trump
made the former governor plenty of allies in the Democratic party, including Gov. JB
Pritzker, who said Sunday that he considered Edgar a “friend and mentor.”
“Jim Edgar was an amazing man and an incredible public servant,” said Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias. “More importantly, he was a great friend and advisor to me. His leadership will be missed, his friendship even more so. My family and I send our deepest condolences to his family.
“Jim spoke frequently about the importance of the ‘Three C’s’: Civility, Compromise and Compassion – words that resonate more than ever today. Together, he believed they served as the foundation of a healthy democracy, knowing that as Americans, we work best when we collaborate and work out our differences, show compassion toward those who need help, and treat one another with respect and dignity. For Jim, compromise was not surrender; compassion was not weakness; and civility was not placation. Together, these principles give us the space to stand firm in our beliefs and to speak passionately without being disrespected, dehumanized or attacked.
“As we mourn his death, we can honor Jim by choosing to believe that – regardless of our differences – a better world is possible through kindness. While the need for a civil, collaborative and a compassionate political climate is more important than ever with today’s polarizing politics – the duty and responsibility of restoring the Three Cs begins with each one of us.”
“The Village of Orland Park joins communities across Illinois in mourning the passing of former Governor Jim Edgar, who dedicated decades of service to our state. From his early days in the Illinois House to his leadership as Secretary of State and Governor, Edgar was known for his steady commitment to good government, fiscal responsibility, and public safety,” said Orland Park Mayor Jim Dodge.
Dodge was recently named to the Edgar Fellows program. “It was amazing opportunity to meet Governor Edgar and hear from him directly about his approach, which he called the three Cs in public service. They are civility to all, compromise to get things done, and compassion for the people you are serving.”
“We extend our condolences to his family, friends, and all who were impacted by his decades of leadership. His legacy will continue to be remembered in Orland Park and beyond.”
Capitol News Illinois contributed to this report