George Ryan, a former Illinois Governor who served prison time following a corruption scandal that ended his political career, has died. He was 91.
Mr. Ryan died Friday morning, according to sources familiar with his passing. He had reportedly been in hospice care for several days. A cause of death was not immediately known.
A Republican, Mr. Ryan served as Illinois Governor from 1999 to 2003. His decades in public office also included terms as Illinois Secretary of State from 1991 to 1999 and Lieutenant Governor from 1983 to 1991 under Governor James Robert Thompson.
His time in office was overshadowed by a federal investigation known as Operation Safe Roads. The probe uncovered a scheme in the Secretary of State's office where employees traded driver's licenses for bribes. This corruption was linked to a tragic 1994 traffic accident that killed the six children of Rev. Duane "Scott" Willis and Janet Willis.
Facing increasing scrutiny, Mr. Ryan did not seek reelection in 2002. He was indicted in December 2003 on 22 charges including racketeering, bribery, and tax fraud.
Mr. Ryan was convicted in 2006 and received a sentence of six and a half years in federal prison. He began serving his term in 2007.
While incarcerated, Mr. Ryan was briefly permitted leave in 2011 to visit his wife, Lura Lynn Ryan, who was dying of cancer. She died six months later, and he was not allowed release to attend her funeral. He was later released from prison in 2013 to serve the remainder of his sentence under home confinement.
During his governorship, Mr. Ryan gained national attention for his stance on the death penalty. In 2000, he imposed a moratorium on executions in Illinois. In 2003, he commuted the sentences of all 167 inmates on the state's death row. The death penalty was later abolished in Illinois by his successor's successor, Governor Pat Quinn.
Mr. Ryan was succeeded as governor by Rod Blagojevich, who was also later convicted on federal corruption charges and served prison time.
Born in Iowa, Mr. Ryan grew up in Kankakee, Illinois. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War before entering politics.
Reflecting on his time in the justice system, Mr. Ryan once stated, “Justice is supposed to be blind, but the fact is most people are blind about the justice system."
