Former Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar’s funeral is set for Saturday after he died following a battle with pancreatic caner.
Edgar, who served two terms as Illinois’ governor in the 1990s, announced that he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer earlier this year, and passed away Sunday at the age of 79.
Saturday’s funeral service will take place in Springfield, and will be attended by numerous Illinois dignitaries, including current Gov. J.B. Pritzker and former Rep. Ray LaHood, who will both deliver tributes during the ceremony.
The funeral comes as officials pay tribute to the popular former governor, who served two terms in office in the 1990s.
“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 Sunday. “We are deeply grateful for the love, support and kindness so many have shown to Jim and our family over these last several months.”
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.
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 reelection twice to the position.
Chicago Politics
During his tenure in office he had pushed for Illinois to adopt stricter laws against drunk driving, including lowering the Blood Alcohol Content limit to 0.10, and had advocated for the national drinking age to be set at 21, according to his website.
When Thompson opted not to run for reelection in 1990, Edgar announced his candidacy and after winning a contested primary defeated Democratic candidate Neil Hartigan to win the governorship.
During his tenure 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 for reelection in the 1998 governor’s race, and has served on a wide variety of boards and in different charitable organizations, including as the president emeritus of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation.
Earlier this year, Edgar revealed that he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and that he would continue to receive treatment in Arizona.
“Doctors at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago have determined I have pancreatic cancer that has spread,” he said, in part. “They and physicians at Mayo Clinic are coordinating on a treatment regimen that I am following initially in Arizona, where we spend the winter, and later in Springfield when we return. We do not underestimate this challenge, but we have confidence in the medical team helping us address it…”