Jim Edgar facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jim Edgar
|
|
|---|---|
A portrait of Jim Edgar around 1987.
|
|
| 38th Governor of Illinois | |
| In office January 14, 1991 – January 11, 1999 |
|
| Lieutenant | Bob Kustra (1991–1998) Vacant (1998–1999) |
| Preceded by | Jim Thompson |
| Succeeded by | George Ryan |
| 35th Secretary of State of Illinois | |
| In office January 5, 1981 – January 14, 1991 |
|
| Governor | Jim Thompson |
| Preceded by | Alan J. Dixon |
| Succeeded by | George Ryan |
| Member of the Illinois House of Representatives from the 53rd district |
|
| In office January 12, 1977 – March 8, 1979 Serving with Chuck Campbell and Larry Stuffle
|
|
| Preceded by | Max Coffey Bob Craig |
| Succeeded by | Harry Woodyard |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
James Robert Edgar
July 22, 1946 Vinita, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Brenda Smith |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Eastern Illinois University (BA) |
| Website | Jim Edgar |
James Robert Edgar (born July 22, 1946), known as Jim Edgar, is an American politician who was the 38th governor of Illinois from 1991 to 1999. As a member of the Republican Party, he was known for having moderate views. Before becoming governor, he was a member of the Illinois House of Representatives and later served as the Secretary of State of Illinois.
Edgar was born in Vinita, Oklahoma, but he grew up in Charleston, a city in Central Illinois. He started his career in politics by helping lawmakers. In 1976, he was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives. Later, Governor Jim Thompson asked him to be his director of legislative affairs, which means he helped the governor work with other lawmakers.
When the Secretary of State, Alan J. Dixon, was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1980, Governor Thompson appointed Edgar to take his place. Edgar was later elected to the position in 1982 and re-elected in 1986 by a very large number of votes.
In 1990, Edgar successfully ran for governor, winning a close election against Neil Hartigan. Four years later, in 1994, he was re-elected by a huge margin, winning in 101 of the state's 102 counties. He decided not to run for a third term in 1998 and retired from public office.
Contents
Early Life and Schooling
Jim Edgar was born on July 22, 1946, in Vinita, Oklahoma. His parents were Cecil and Betty Edgar. His father died in a car accident in 1953 when Jim was young. After that, his mother raised him and his two older brothers by herself in Charleston.
To support her family, Betty Edgar worked at Eastern Illinois University. Jim later went to college there. At the university, he met his wife, Brenda Smith, and was elected student body president. He graduated in 1968 with a degree in history.
Edgar became interested in politics when he was a boy. Even though his parents were Democrats, he decided to become a Republican in elementary school. He was inspired by the 1952 presidential campaign of Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Start of His Political Career
After college, Edgar worked as an intern and assistant for W. Russell Arrington, a Republican leader in the Illinois Senate. Edgar saw Arrington as a role model. He also worked for a short time for W. Robert Blair, who was the Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives.
In 1976, Edgar was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives, representing the 53rd district. He was re-elected in 1978. In the House, he was known for his moderate political views and was often a key vote on important issues.
In 1979, Governor Jim Thompson asked Edgar to work for him as his legislative liaison. This job involved helping the governor communicate with the state legislature. Edgar accepted the position and left his seat in the House.
Illinois Secretary of State
.jpg)
In 1981, Governor Thompson appointed Edgar as the Illinois Secretary of State. The previous secretary, Alan J. Dixon, had been elected to the U.S. Senate. Edgar won re-election to the office in 1982 and 1986. His 1986 victory was one of the largest in Illinois history at the time.
As Secretary of State, Edgar was known for being fair. He kept many of the employees who had been hired by his Democratic predecessor. He believed that "the best politics is good government" and cared more about employees doing their jobs well than their political party.
One of his biggest goals was to make Illinois roads safer. He worked to pass stronger laws against unsafe driving. He also supported a national 21-year-old legal drinking age. In 1982, President Ronald Reagan appointed him to a national commission focused on this issue.
During his second term, Edgar also led a successful effort to require all drivers in Illinois to have car insurance. He also helped get a new Illinois State Library built.
Governor of Illinois
In 1989, Edgar announced he would run for governor after Governor Thompson decided not to run again. In the 1990 election, Edgar faced the Democrat Neil Hartigan. Edgar promised to support education and not to raise taxes. He won a very close race to become governor.
Edgar's victory was partly because he gained support from groups that usually voted for Democrats, including many Black voters in Chicago. He had shown his support for civil rights, which helped him win over these voters.
First Term: 1991–1995
When Edgar became governor in 1991, Illinois was facing a major budget shortage. The state was also affected by a national economic slowdown. To fix the state's finances, Edgar proposed a budget with many spending cuts but a small increase for education.
He worked with the Illinois General Assembly, which was controlled by Democrats, to reach a compromise. This agreement included most of his spending cuts and made a temporary income tax increase permanent to help fund schools.
During his first term, Edgar also worked to improve the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). He changed the department's focus to always put the best interests of children first.
In 1993, Illinois was hit by the Great Flood of 1993, one of the worst natural disasters in the state's history. Governor Edgar declared several counties as disaster areas. He sent thousands of Illinois National Guard members to help protect towns from the floodwaters. He even helped fill sandbags himself.
Addressing the Pension Crisis
In 1994, Edgar signed a law to fix a growing problem with the state's pension system. A pension is the money a person receives after they retire from their job. For many years, Illinois had not been saving enough money to pay its retired workers in the future.
The new law, often called the "Edgar Ramp," created a 50-year plan to make sure the state's pension funds would be healthy. The plan required the state to increase its payments into the system each year. At the time, it was seen as a major success. However, future leaders did not always follow the plan, and the state's pension problems have continued.
Second Term: 1995–1999
In 1994, Edgar ran for re-election against Dawn Clark Netsch. He won in a landslide, winning in 101 of the state's 102 counties. This included Cook County, which usually votes for Democrats.
In his second term, Edgar focused on improving the state's financial health. He increased funding for education and paid off many of the state's old bills. He also signed a law that gave Illinois workers their first income tax cut in almost 30 years.
During this time, a company that had donated to his campaign was investigated. Edgar was never accused of doing anything wrong, but he did testify in court. He became the first sitting Illinois governor in 75 years to do so. He stated that political donations did not affect who received state contracts.
On August 20, 1997, Edgar announced that he would retire from politics after his second term ended. He was very popular and likely would have won a third term if he had run.
Life After Politics
After leaving office, Jim Edgar has remained active. He is a fellow at the Institute of Government & Public Affairs at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He also teaches at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
Edgar has been involved in celebrating the legacy of two famous presidents from Illinois. He was the honorary chairman of the Ronald Reagan Centennial Celebration at Eureka College. He is also the former chairman of the board of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation.
In 1999, Edgar was given the Order of Lincoln, which is the highest honor given by the state of Illinois.
Political Views
Edgar is known as a moderate Republican. He has supported Senator John McCain and Mitt Romney for president. In 2016 and 2020, he did not support Donald Trump and instead announced his support for Joe Biden in the 2020 election. Edgar said he was disappointed with the division in the country and believed a president should try to bring people together.
Personal Life
Edgar is married to Brenda Smith Edgar. They have two children, a son named Brad and a daughter named Elizabeth.
In 1994, while he was governor, Edgar had emergency heart surgery. In February 2025, he announced that he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
