Jim Ryan (Illinois)
Jim Ryan (February 21, 1946 - June 12, 2022) was a Republican politician, a lawyer, and an academic. He served as the attorney general for the State of Illinois from 1995 to 2002. Ryan unsuccessfully ran for governor of Illinois on the Republican ticket in 2002, losing to Rod Blagojevich. Ryan became a distinguished fellow at Benedictine University in 2003.
On November 3, 2009, Ryan announced his candidacy for the 2010 Illinois gubernatorial election.[1] He came in fourth in the primary election.
Ryan passed away on June 12, 2022. His family said he died after several illnesses.[2]
Education
- J.D., Chicago-Kent College of Law, 1971
- B.A., Political Science, Illinois Benedictine College, 1968.
Career
From 1974 to 1974, Ryan was a prosecutor for DuPage County, Illinois. In 1974 Ryan became assistant state's attorney, a post he held through 1976 when he went into private practice.
In 1984 Ryan was elected to his first statewide public office as attorney general and state’s attorney of DuPage County, serving through 1995. In 1995 he ran for and was elected as the Illinois Attorney General.
Attorney general
Ryan served as Illinois Attorney General for two terms, from 1995 to 2002. In 1996 during his first term in office, Ryan accepted a $9.1 billion settlement in a suit against the tobacco industry. It was the largest such settlement in the history of the state. When Ryan ran for re-election, every newspaper in the state endorsed him. This was nearly repeated in his 2002 gubernatorial bid.
In 2000 Ryan initiated a sting operation which targeted gun buyers and sellers across the nation. The ultimately unsuccessful program caused a rift between candidate Ryan and some of the conservative base in 2002, and again in 2010.[3]
Elections
2010
In December of 2009, Rasmussen reported that Jim Ryan was leading incumbent Governor Pat Quinn and within two points of Illinois comptroller Dan Hynes.[4]
| 2010 Race for Governor - Republican Primary[5] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Percentage | |||
| Adam Andrzekewski (R) | 14.5% | |||
 Bill Brady (R)
|
20.3% | |||
| Kirk Dillard (R) | 20.2% | |||
| Andy McKenna (R) | 19.3% | |||
| Dan Proft (R) | 7.7% | |||
| Jim Ryan (R) | 17.0% | |||
| Robert Schillerstorm (R) | 1.0% | |||
| Total votes | 767,485 | |||
See also
External links
- Jim Ryan at Project Vote Smart
- Jimryan2010.com 2010 Campaign website
The Internet Archive's Wayback Machine was used to recall this version of the website from April 12, 2010.
Footnotes
- ↑ Ryan announces candidacy for governor
- ↑ The State Register-Journal, "Former Illinois attorney general, gubernatorial candidate Jim Ryan dies at 76," June 13, 2022
- ↑ Gun owners beware: Jim Ryan announces run for Illinois Governor
- ↑ 2010 Illinois Governor: Ryan Leads Quinn, Close to Hynes
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Vote Totals List: General Primary 2010" accessed July 7, 2010
