Former two-term Illinois governor Jim Edgar on Monday disclosed he is battling pancreatic cancer — but expressed confidence in his medical treatment.
Edgar, who also served as Illinois secretary of state, and leads the Edgar Fellows program at the University of Illinois’ Institute of Government and Public Affairs, wrote in an email to the program’s fellows that he and his wife, Brenda, are “facing a new, significant challenge.”
“Doctors at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago have determined I have pancreatic cancer that has spread. They and physicians at Mayo Clinic are coordinating on a treatment regimen that I am following initially in Arizona, where we spend the winter, and later in Springfield when we return,” Edgar wrote. “We do not underestimate this challenge, but we have confidence in the medical team helping us address it.”
Edgar Fellows Executive Director Janet Mathis wrote in the email that Edgar “continues to be personally engaged” with the fellows team. The new 2025 class of fellows is expected to be announced in May.
Edgar, 78, served as the state’s 38th governor. A moderate Republican, Edgar also served in the Illinois House of Representatives from 1976 to 1979 and as Illinois Secretary of State from 1981 to 1991. After retiring from office, Edgar was also a resident fellow at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
Edgar was re-elected as governor with the largest plurality of any incumbent Illinois governor — winning 101 of the state’s 102 counties, including Cook County.
Edgar served on Gov. JB Pritzker’s first transition team. He was also highly critical of former Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner during the state’s nearly three-year budget impasse, despite having campaigned for him during the 2018 general election.
Politico first reported the diagnosis.