Former Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar, a two-term Republican credited with guiding the state toward greater financial stability in the 1990s, died Sunday at age 79, his family said. He died from complications related to his treatment for pancreatic cancer, a diagnosis he publicly disclosed earlier this year, the family said in a statement.
A former state legislator who served a decade as Illinois secretary of state, Edgar was elected governor in 1990 and won reelection handily in 1994, carrying even heavily Democratic Cook County. Facing a state hundreds of millions of dollars in debt and bills paid months late when he took office, Edgar pushed lawmakers to reduce spending amid a recession and pushed to make a temporary income tax surcharge permanent to create a more stable revenue stream for schools and other services.
"It wasn't always pretty how it was done, but we got a lot done," Edgar told The Associated Press in 1998. He made difficult budget cuts and implemented layoffs and program reductions that, supporters say, put the state on firmer fiscal footing by the end of the decade.
Edgar's low-key style contrasted with his predecessor, James R. Thompson, and he was broadly regarded as a moderate Republican. He surprised many political observers when he announced in 1997 that he would not seek a third term despite his continued popularity. Parties and supporters tried to persuade him to run again for governor and for other offices, including the U.S. Senate, but he declined.
In later years, Edgar remained active as a party elder and adviser but grew uneasy with the Republican Party's rightward shift. He was among prominent Republicans who declined to support Donald Trump's presidency and joined a campaign called "Republicans for Harris," the family statement said.
After leaving office, Edgar taught and served as president emeritus of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation and remained involved in civic and educational causes. Bob Kustra, who served as Edgar's lieutenant governor, called him "a Republican whose integrity guided his time in office and who managed one of the most successful periods in Illinois state government."
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker ordered flags to be flown at half-staff in Edgar's honor and praised his commitment to honesty and public service. "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 said in a statement.
Edgar is survived by his wife and two children. His relatives said funeral arrangements would be announced in the coming days. His death prompted an outpouring of remembrance from across Illinois politics, noting a tenure that reshaped the state's finances and a post-governorship marked by continued civic engagement.