Edgar Announces Cancer Diagnosis
Governor Jim Edgar speaks at an event in 2016. (Photo: Chicago Sun-Times)
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Jim Edgar, Illinois’ 38th Governor and the last Republican to be elected to two terms as the state’s chief executive, announced Monday he is battling pancreatic cancer.
Edgar, 78, issued a statement disclosing the condition.
“Brenda and I are facing a new, significant challenge.
Doctors at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago have determined I have pancreatic cancer that has spread. 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.
Brenda and I remain hopeful, and we are grateful for the kindness of so many who have offered their prayers and support.”
Edgar was born in Oklahoma but was raised in Charleston. He was elected to the House in 1977 and appointed Secretary of State in 1981. He won a narrow victory for Governor in 1990 and was re-elected in 1994 with 64% of the vote statewide, even winning Cook County.
Following the announcement, House Speaker Chris Welch called Edgar the “model of a true statesman.”
“The opportunity I had to learn from him through the Edgar Fellows Program helped me as a new lawmaker, as a committee chair, and still today as Speaker. The fact that so many leaders in our Capitol can tell similar stories is a testament to the amazing scope of Governor Edgar’s impact.”
Former Sen. Kirk Dillard, who served as Edgar’s first Chief of Staff, called Edgar a “fine, decent man, but a tough one, too.”
“Governor Edgar is a wonderful person and still plays a very important role in government and preparing bipartisan future leaders,” Dillard said. “We are praying for his full speedy recovery and if anyone deserves to have or can have this tough setback cured, it is Jim Edgar.”
Edgar and his wife, Brenda, split their time between Springfield and Arizona.