Jim Edgar, a moderate Republican who served two terms as the Governor of Illinois and a successful owner and breeder of Thoroughbreds in the Midwest, passed away on Sept. 14 following a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 79 years old.
Appointed to the position of Illinois Secretary of State in 1981, Edgar was responsible for helping to toughen drunk driving penalties in the state and was also instrumental in successfully leading a legislative battle to mandate car insurance for Illinois motorists. Edgar was elected to his first term as governor in 1990 and won re-election four years later, winning all but one of Illinois's 102 counties, including Cook County (Chicago), historically dominated by the Democrats.
According to Equibase statistics, Edgar began racing horses in 2003 and in 2005, won the Governor's Lady Handicap with the Tom Dorris-trained Illinois-bred mare Fighting Fever, which Edgar bred with Don Smith. As recently as this past July, Edgar was represented by the 3-year-old Indiana-bred filly Temple Paynter (Paynter), winner of the Indiana First Lady Handicap at Horseshoe Indianapolis for trainer Robert E. Dobbs, Jr. Over the course of his career, his horses amassed a record of 144-183-196 from 1,317 starters for earnings of $3,300,162.
This past February, Edgar revealed he was fighting pancreatic cancer.
“I've told many people I want to stay around,” he told the Chicago Sun-Times. “I've got a few things I want to do and see. I want to see great-grandchildren. I kind of like to see my horses do a little better than they've done. So I've got a lot to hold out for. But to be very truthful, if it ended tomorrow, I've had a great life.”
Current Illinois Democratic Governor J. B. Pritzker paid tribute to Edgar, telling the suburban Chicago Daily Herald: “I was lucky enough to consider him a friend and mentor and have found myself drawing from his words of wisdom on countless occasions. His commitment to reaching across the aisle in service of the people of Illinois undeniably made our state better.
“Now more than ever, we should channel that spirit and resolve to live as Gov. Edgar did: with honesty, integrity, and an enduring respect for all.”
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