SPRINGFIELD, IL (Chambana Today) – George Ryan, former Illinois governor and one of the state’s most consequential and controversial political figures, has died at the age of 91. His death was confirmed by former Republican State Representative Jim Durkin.
A lifelong Republican, Ryan served as governor from 1999 to 2003, after holding statewide office as Secretary of State from 1991 to 1999 and lieutenant governor from 1983 to 1991. He began his political career in Kankakee County and rose through the ranks to become Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives in the early 1980s.
Senate Republican Leader John Curran praised Ryan as “a bold leader who wasn’t afraid to reach across the aisle,” highlighting his investments in infrastructure, education, and technology. “His efforts helped create a brighter future for Illinois,” Curran said.
Despite his achievements, Ryan’s legacy was forever marred by a sweeping corruption scandal. As Secretary of State, his office was implicated in a bribery scheme involving the illegal sale of driver’s licenses. One such license was tied to a fatal crash that killed six children. The scandal led to a federal probe known as Operation Safe Roads. Ryan chose not to seek reelection in 2002 and was indicted later that year on 22 federal charges including racketeering, tax fraud, and obstruction of justice.
He was convicted in 2006 and sentenced to six and a half years in prison, serving time from 2007 until his release to home confinement in 2013. He was briefly allowed out of prison in 2011 to visit his dying wife, Lura Lynn, though he was not permitted to attend her funeral.
Despite the controversy, Ryan received national recognition in 2000 for placing a moratorium on the death penalty in Illinois. He later commuted the sentences of more than 160 death row inmates, paving the way for the state’s eventual abolition of capital punishment in 2011.
Born in Maquoketa, Iowa in 1934, Ryan married his high school sweetheart Lura Lynn in 1956. They had six children together. He is remembered as both a reformer and a cautionary tale in Illinois politics—one who made bold decisions but fell victim to the same culture of corruption he once promised to reform.