Edgar Remembered as "A Wonderful Person"
Gov. Jim Edgar shakes hands outside of McHenry County College in 1998. (Photo: Chicago Tribune)
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Friends and former colleagues are remembering Gov. Jim Edgar, who died Sunday after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
Edgar was elected to the House in 1976 and was named then-Gov. Jim Thompson’s Legislative Director in 1979. He rose to statewide prominence in the 80’s and 90’s after being appointed Secretary of State in 1981 and winning two terms statewide, and winning two terms as Governor in 1990 and 1994.
The 1990 race, between Edgar and then-Attorney General Neil Hartigan, was one of the closest in state history. Edgar won by around 84,000 votes, and polling showed a close race until the end.
“It was pretty down to the wire,” said Kirk Dillard, who worked on the campaign and later became Edgar’s Chief of Staff.
Carter Hendren, Edgar’s campaign manager on the 1990 race, said Edgar did outreach into minority communities that no Republican before him had.
“He made it a very strong priority to work the African American community in Chicago and we had great people working with us and helped us put an organization there together,” Hendren said. “That made a very big impact.”
Hendren said the campaign did outreach to every ethnic group in the city of Chicago, which helped stem huge losses inside the city.
“In the suburbs, we started talking about property tax caps, that we have to do something about property taxes,” Hendren said.
Hendren said the campaign tested Edgar’s and Hartigan’s voices in a focus group, but Edgar came across more trustworthy
“I think it’s all about character,” Hendren said. “He did what he said he was going to do.”
Edgar left many, including those in his inner circle, guessing about his future political plans until the last moment in 1997.
His longtime Press Secretary, Mike Lawrence, confirmed up until the day of the announcement, there were three speeches: one to seek re-election, one to seek election to the Senate in 1998, and another stepping aside.
“I did three drafts,” Lawrence said. “And I was part of several of the discussions about with him about whether he'd run or not. I was not in favor of running for a third term, because I just felt that two terms for a governor of a large state like Illinois were sufficient.”
Lawrence said Edgar practiced the speeches the night before at the Governor’s Mansion and nearly chose to run again.
Dillard says while Edgar floated the idea of running for Senate in 1998 or 2004 or running again for Governor in 2006, he believed Edgar made the right decision.
“It goes to Jim Edgar’s credibility and common sense that you know when to step aside,” he said.
Numerous colleagues pointed to Edgar’s legacy in his Edgar Fellows program at the University of Illinois.
“He has 500 individuals that he taught in Edgar Fellows that are living legacies,” Dillard said. “He didn’t just fold it up, he went over to use his skills and his knowledge to teach young people. And, boy, he loved teaching young people.”
As the public remembers a governor and visible public official, his friends remember the person they lost.
“Well, I’m gonna miss him,” Hendren said, fighting back tears. He was a dear friend. He was a smart guy. A really good guy who was committed to his family, committed to his friends, and committed to his state. He was just a wonderful person.”
