Editing Jim Edgar (section)

{{Short description|American politician (born 1946)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2011}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name                = Jim Edgar
| image               = File:Secretary of State Jim Edgar.jpg
| caption             = Portrait of Edgar, c. 1987
| order               = 38th
| office              = Governor of Illinois
| term_start          = January 14, 1991
| term_end            = January 11, 1999
| lieutenant          = [[Bob Kustra]] {{small|(1991–1998)}}<br>''Vacant'' {{small|(1998–1999)}} 
| predecessor         = [[Jim Thompson (Illinois politician)|Jim Thompson]]
| successor           = [[George Ryan]]
| office2             = 35th [[Illinois Secretary of State|Secretary of State of Illinois]]
| governor2           = Jim Thompson
| predecessor2        = [[Alan J. Dixon]]
| successor2          = George Ryan
| term_start2         = January 5, 1981
| term_end2           = January 14, 1991
| state_house3        = Illinois
| district3           = 53rd
| alongside3          = Chuck Campbell and [[Larry Stuffle]]
| predecessor3        = [[Max E. Coffey|Max Coffey]]<br>[[Robert Craig (Illinois politician)|Bob Craig]]
| successor3          = [[Harry Woodyard (Illinois politician)|Harry Woodyard]]
| term_start3         = January 12, 1977
| term_end3           = March 8, 1979
| birth_name          = James Robert Edgar
| birth_date          = {{Birth date and age|1946|7|22}}
| birth_place         = [[Vinita, Oklahoma]], U.S.
| death_date          = 
| death_place         = 
| spouse              = Brenda Smith
| party               = [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
| education           = [[Eastern Illinois University]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])
| footnotes           = 
| children            = 2
| website             = [https://jimedgar.com Jim Edgar]
}}

'''James Robert Edgar''' (born July 22, 1946)<ref name=":8" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=1994-10-16 |title=TWO OF A KIND |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1994/10/16/two-of-a-kind-9/ |access-date=2024-08-26 |website=Chicago Tribune |language=en-US}}</ref> is an American politician who served as the 38th [[governor of Illinois]] from 1991 to 1999.<ref name=":5">{{cite web|url=http://www.nga.org/portal/site/nga/menuitem.29fab9fb4add37305ddcbeeb501010a0/?vgnextoid=ebd6ae3effb81010VgnVCM1000001a01010aRCRD&vgnextchannel=e449a0ca9e3f1010VgnVCM1000001a01010aRCRD|title=Illinois Governor Jim Edgar|access-date=2007-07-26|work=Governor's Information|publisher=National Governors Association|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930014437/http://www.nga.org/portal/site/nga/menuitem.29fab9fb4add37305ddcbeeb501010a0/?vgnextoid=ebd6ae3effb81010VgnVCM1000001a01010aRCRD&vgnextchannel=e449a0ca9e3f1010VgnVCM1000001a01010aRCRD|archive-date=September 30, 2007|df=mdy-all}}</ref> A [[Moderate Republican (modern United States)|moderate]] [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]], he previously served in the [[Illinois House of Representatives]] from 1977 to 1979 and as the 35th [[Illinois Secretary of State|Secretary of State of Illinois]] from 1981 to 1991.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Howard |first=Robert |title=Mostly Good and Competent Men |publisher=University of Illinois at Springfield, Center for State Policy and Leadership |year=1999 |isbn=978-0938943150 |edition=2nd |pages=332–333}}</ref>

Edgar was born in [[Vinita, Oklahoma]] and raised in [[Charleston, Illinois|Charleston]], a city in [[Central Illinois]]. Beginning his political career as a legislative aide, he was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives in 1976 and reelected in 1978. In 1979, while still in his second term, Edgar would be appointed as the director of legislative affairs for [[Governor of Illinois|Illinois Governor]] [[Jim Thompson (Illinois politician)|Jim Thompson]]. 

Following Secretary of State [[Alan J. Dixon]]'s election to the U.S. Senate in [[1980 United States Senate election in Illinois|1980]], Thompson appointed Edgar to serve the remainder of Dixon's term. Edgar would go on to win a full term in [[1982 Illinois Secretary of State election|1982]] and was reelected by a significant margin in [[1986 Illinois Secretary of State election|1986]] in a race complicated by a [[LaRouche movement|LaRouchian]] candidate on the [[Democratic Party of Illinois|Democratic]] ticket. 

Edgar ran successfully for [[Governor of Illinois]] in the [[1990 Illinois gubernatorial election|1990 election]], narrowly defeating incumbent [[Illinois Attorney General|Attorney General]] [[Neil Hartigan]]. During the [[Republican Revolution]] of '94, he [[1994 Illinois gubernatorial election|won reelection]] in a historic landslide over the Democratic Illinois Comptroller [[Dawn Clark Netsch]]—winning 101 of the state's 102 counties, including [[Cook County]]. He declined to run for a third term in [[1998 Illinois gubernatorial election|1998]] and subsequently retired from public office.