George H. Ryan
| George Ryan, Sr. | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 39th Governor of Illinois | |
|
In office January 11, 1999 – January 13, 2003 |
|
| Lieutenant | Corinne Wood |
| Preceded by | Jim Edgar |
| Succeeded by | Rod Blagojevich |
| 36th Illinois Secretary of State | |
|
In office January 14, 1991 – January 11, 1999 |
|
| Governor | Jim Edgar |
| Preceded by | Jim Edgar |
| Succeeded by | Jesse White |
| 42nd Lieutenant Governor of Illinois | |
|
In office January 10, 1983 – January 14, 1991 |
|
| Governor | James R. Thompson |
| Preceded by | Dave O'Neal |
| Succeeded by | Bob Kustra |
| 65th Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives | |
|
In office January 14, 1981 – January 10, 1983 |
|
| Governor | James R. Thompson |
| Preceded by | William A. Redmond |
| Succeeded by | Arthur A. Telcser |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
February 24, 1934 Maquoketa, Iowa, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Lura Lynn Lowe (June 10, 1956 – June 28, 2011; her death) |
| Children | 6 |
| Residence | Kankakee, Illinois |
| Alma mater | Ferris State College, Bachelor of Pharmacy 1961 |
| Profession | Pharmacist and businessman |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1954–1956 |
George Homer Ryan, Sr. (born February 24, 1934) was the 39th Governor of the U.S. state of Illinois from 1999 until 2003. He was a member of the Republican Party. Ryan received national attention for his 1999 moratorium on executions in Illinois and for commuting more than 160 death sentences to life sentences in 2003. He was later convicted of federal corruption charges and spent more than five years in federal prison and seven months of home confinement. He was released from federal prison on July 3, 2013.
Born in Maquoketa, Iowa, Ryan grew up in Kankakee County, Illinois. After serving in the U.S. Army in Korea, he worked for his father's two drugstores. He attended Ferris State College of Pharmacy (now Ferris State University) in Big Rapids, Michigan. Eventually, he built his father's pair of pharmacies into a successful family-run chain (profiting from lucrative government-contract business selling prescription drugs to nursing homes) which he sold in 1990.
Ryan was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1954. He served a 13-month tour in Korea, working in a base pharmacy.
On June 10, 1956, Ryan married his high school sweetheart, Lura Lynn Lowe (July 5, 1934 – June 27, 2011) whom he had met in a high school English class. She grew up in Aroma Park, where her family (originally from Germany) had lived since 1834. Her father owned one of the first hybrid seed companies in the United States. The couple had five daughters (including a set of triplets); Julie, Joanne, Jeanette, Lynda and Nancy; and one son, George Homer Ryan, Jr.
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