Former Illinois attorney general, gubernatorial candidate Jim Ryan dies at 76

Republican gubernatorial candidate and former Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan, thanks his family and supporters after the voting results had come in late night Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2010. Ryan died Sunday.  (AP Photo/John Smierciak)

Republican gubernatorial prospect and former Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan, many thanks his spouse and children and supporters soon after the voting results experienced come in late evening Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2010. Ryan died Sunday. (AP Photo/John Smierciak)

Jim Ryan, who served two phrases as Illinois Legal professional Standard and missing to Rod Blagojevich in a 2002 gubernatorial bid, died Sunday.

He was 76.

A assertion from his spouse and children reported he died following numerous lengthy sicknesses.

The Republican served as attorney typical from 1995 to 2003. Ryan dropped his initially bid for the business office to Roland Burris in 1990.

Ryan also ran for governor in 2010 but lost in a crowded Republican primary to State Senator Bill Brady of Bloomington. Brady lost the typical election to Patrick Quinn.

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Ryan was a three-time most cancers survivor who elevated cash for most cancers exploration following he still left office.

“Jim Ryan embodied what it meant to be a statesman,” reported Illinois Republican Occasion chairman Don Tracy of Springfield. “He constantly place the men and women of Illinois in advance of politics and faithfully served this excellent point out with honor and integrity as our legal professional common. Jim overcame fantastic individual tragedies and health troubles to dwell an impactful community everyday living as nicely as currently being a wonderful spouse, father, and grandfather.”

In a Tweet, Illinois Legal professional Typical Kwame Raoul called Ryan a “wonderful attorney, chief and statesman (who) demonstrated a dedication to community services and community protection normally overcoming personalized adversity in purchase to do so.”

Ryan advised The Condition Journal-Sign up in 2009 he ran “a cleanse lawyer general’s business. I’m proud of my office environment. I put plenty of folks in jail, plenty of them, such as people today that fully commited general public corruption.”

But Ryan was criticized for his persistence, though DuPage County state’s lawyer, in prosecuting Rolando Cruz and Alejandro Hernandez for the 1983 abduction and murder of 10-year-previous Jeanine Nicarico of Naperville Township. Cruz and Hernandez were being finally cleared immediately after yet another male, Brian Dugan, admitted to the killing.

Two Springfield attorneys, Tim Gabrielsen and John Hanlon, worked on Cruz’s situation in publish-conviction.

Marty Green, the vice president of federal government relations for the Illinois CPA Culture in Springfield, worked in the attorney general’s office environment from 1996 to 2003.

“He taught me how to be a improved attorney and a superior person just by becoming all over him,” stated Eco-friendly, a previous government assistant lawyer typical. “I realized if we took a authorized issue to him, you understood he was going to request queries. He was heading to request huge thoughts and detailed concerns and you improved know the legal troubles you ended up placing in entrance of him.

“Mainly, the position (as attorney typical) constitutionally is to symbolize the people today of Illinois in all litigation issues and he took that quite, extremely significantly. He experienced dazzling people today, excellent legal professionals close to him and he revered the frontline lawyers in the many divisions in the place of work for the operate that they did.

“He was quite a great deal dedicated to serving the folks of Illinois as the main authorized officer. It could be as massive as the tobacco case (Illinois was component of a nationwide circumstance and reaped $9.1 billion) or assisting citizens with a purchaser circumstance or it could be encouraging states attorneys and legislation enforcement with felony justice challenges.”

As state’s lawyer, Ryan established himself as an advocate for young children, building the state’s very first center for victims of youngster abuse.

Ryan, who was born in Chicago, endured a string of own tragedies and issues in his everyday living, like the deaths of two of his 6 children.

Ryan’s youngest daughter, Anne Marie, died at the age of 12 in 1997 of an undiagnosed mind tumor, family said. A son, Patrick, died at the age of 24 in 2007.

Ryan is survived by his spouse, Marie, who was also his significant university sweetheart, and four small children. He also has 11 grandchildren.

Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788, [email protected], twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.

This write-up originally appeared on Point out Journal-Register: Jim Ryan, former Illinois legal professional basic, dies at 76