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Here's a look at the life of George Ryan, the former Illinois governor who served time in prison after being convicted of racketeering, conspiracy and fraud.
Birthdate: February 24, 1934
Place of birth: Maquoketa (Iowa)
Birth name: George Homer Ryan
Father: Thomas Ryan, pharmacist
Mother: Jeannette Ryan
Marriage: Lura Lynn Lowe (1956 – June 27, 2011, her death)
Children: Nancy, Lynda, George Jr. and triplets: Julie, Joanne and Jeanette
Education: Ferris State College, Bachelor of Science, 1961
Military service: Army, 1954-1956
Religion: Methodist
He worked as a pharmacist in his family's business.
“Our capital punishment system is tormented by the demon of error: error in determining guilt, error in determining which of the guilty deserves to die,” Ryan said in a 2003 speech announcing blanket commutations.
The 163 men and four women whose sentences Ryan commuted were convicted of killing more than 250 people.
1968 – He serves as chairman of the Kankakee County, Illinois board.
1972 – He is elected to the Illinois House of Representatives.
1981-1983 – Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives.
1983-1991 – Lieutenant Governor of Illinois.
1990 – He becomes Secretary of State under Governor Jim Edgar.
November 3, 1998 – He is elected governor of Illinois.
January 11, 1999 – He assumes the position of governor.
October 1999 – He meets with Cuban President Fidel Castro during a humanitarian mission. It is the first visit to Cuba by a sitting U.S. governor since Castro took power in 1959.
January 31, 2000 – He calls for a moratorium on executions, “until I can be sure that all those on death row in Illinois are truly guilty.”
August 8, 2001 – He rules out running for re-election due to bribery scandal.
October 2002 – Directs the Illinois Prisoner Review Board to hold two weeks of clemency hearings for nearly all death row inmates. He does not attend hearings.
January 11, 2003 – In one of his last acts as governor of Illinois, Ryan commutes the sentences of the 167 prisoners sentenced to death in Illinois.
December 17, 2003 – He is accused of federal charges of accepting bribes, gifts and vacations in exchange for government contracts and leases.
April 2006 – Convicted of racketeering conspiracy, fraud and other crimes for receiving bribes from politicians in exchange for state business while secretary of state and governor of Illinois.
September 6, 2006 – He is sentenced to 6 and a half years in prison.
November 7, 2007 – Ryan reports to the Federal Correctional Institution in Oxford, Wisconsin, to begin serving his prison sentence.
February 28, 2008 – Transfers to Terra Haute FCI in Indiana.
November 25, 2008 – Ryan asks for clemency in a letter to President George W. Bush. His clemency petition is backed by Sen. Dick Durbin and Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Bush leaves office on January 20 without granting a pardon to Ryan.
December 12, 2008 – Ryan apologizes for the crimes he committed during his tenure as part of his plea for clemency. He says: “I want to make things right in my heart with God, with my family and with those I have hurt… As a former public official, husband, father and grandfather, I apologize.”
February 7, 2009 – An Illinois appeals court rules that Ryan is eligible to receive part of his state pension, about $65,000 a year. The pension will cover the years he served in the state legislature and as lieutenant governor.
February 19, 2010 – The Illinois Supreme Court reverses the appeals court's decision, stating that Ryan is not entitled to any part of his state pension.
June 27, 2011 – Ryan's wife, Lura, dies after suffering from terminal lung cancer. Ryan is temporarily released from prison so he can be with her during her final hours.
January 30, 2013 – He is released to home confinement to complete the remainder of his sentence.
July 3, 2013 – He is released from home confinement.
September 10 to September 13, 2018 – At the invitation of the Cuban government, he visits the country again together with Jerry Reinsdorf, owner of the Chicago White Sox and Chicago Bulls, among others.
December 13, 2018 – The Woman's Club of Kankakee, Illinois, honors three former governors of the city, including Ryan, with its “Wall of Three Governors.” Ryan attends the opening ceremony.
September 18, 2020 – His book, co-written with Maurice Possley, titled “Until I Could Be Sure: How I Stopped the Death Penalty in Illinois” is published.
