# How long since Illinois had an honest governor?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-since-illinois-had-an-honest-governor/476516
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [December 10, 2008, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-since-illinois-had-an-honest-governor/476516 "2008-12-10T05:04:07Z")
**Posts on this page:** 11
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2008, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-since-illinois-had-an-honest-governor/476516/1 "2008-12-10T05:04:07Z")
This may seem like a GD question, but in light of the fact that the current Governor has just been indicted on bribery charges, and his immediate predecessor is serving time on bribery charges, it really is a factual question: when did Illinois last have an honest governor?
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### Author:  [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2008, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-since-illinois-had-an-honest-governor/476516/2 "2008-12-10T05:43:57Z")
I don’t know of any reason to think [Jim Edgar](http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Edgar) was less than honest and he served from 1991 - 1999.
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### Author:  [@paperbackwriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paperbackwriter)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2008, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-since-illinois-had-an-honest-governor/476516/3 "2008-12-10T05:46:40Z")
[Jim Edgar (1991-1999)](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Edgar) was the last governor that was not indicted or prosecuted. There is a caveat in that his largest campaign contributor was caught trying to influence people for a contract. Although Edgar was not subject to any criminal proceedings, a number of others were.
Edgar’s predecessor, [Jim Thompson (1977-1991)](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_R._Thompson) also never faced criminal charges. however, he was also caught in a political scandal that required any job seeker for all state agencies, boards, bureaus, and commissions to pass what amounts to a loyalty test to the GOP.
The last IL governor that doesn’t seem to have a major stain on his record is [Richard B. Ogilvie (1969-1973)](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_B._Ogilvie).
So, depending on your criteria, the answer is either nine years, 17 years, or 35 years.
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### Author:  [@anson2995](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anson2995)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2008, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-since-illinois-had-an-honest-governor/476516/4 "2008-12-10T14:58:59Z")
Three of the seven Illinois governors who preceded Blagojevich were convicted of felonies: Otto Kerner (61-68), Daniel Walker (73-77) and George Ryan (99-03).
If he’s convicted, Blagojevich would make it four out of the last eight.
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### Author:  [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2008, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-since-illinois-had-an-honest-governor/476516/5 "2008-12-10T15:43:07Z")
Although, to be fair to Walker, the felonies for which he were convicted happened after his term as governor. They weren’t for actions he had taken as governor.
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### Author:  [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2008, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-since-illinois-had-an-honest-governor/476516/6 "2008-12-10T15:50:29Z")
Six men have served as governor of Illinois in my lifetime. Three of them will have done time in prison.
Wow. Just, wow.
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### Author:  [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2008, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-since-illinois-had-an-honest-governor/476516/7 "2008-12-10T16:47:21Z")
> [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](#):
>
> I don’t know of any reason to think [Jim Edgar](http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Edgar) was less than honest and he served from 1991 - 1999.
Yes, of all recent Illinois governors, Edgar stands out as being clean, sober, and respected. IIRC the Republicans were interested in having him run for governor again in 2006 but he turned them down. IMHO he would have had a good shot at winning. Though his response to current events is along the lines of “The voters should have known better than to e-elect Blagojevich in 2006.” ([cite](http://www.sj-r.com/news/x596338570/Edgar-Voters-partly-to-blame-for-state-s-corruption))
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### Author:  [@Andy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2008, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-since-illinois-had-an-honest-governor/476516/8 "2008-12-10T17:15:05Z")
Over breakfast a friend who works on a Chicago newspaper explained that while politics is corrupt and politics in Illinois is really corrupt, Cook County is just ludicrous…
It was just an opinion of course.
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### Author:  [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2008, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-since-illinois-had-an-honest-governor/476516/9 "2008-12-10T17:23:38Z")
This is why I never understood the claim that Obama was inexperienced. You gotta grow up fast in Illinois politics.
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### Author:  [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2008, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-since-illinois-had-an-honest-governor/476516/10 "2008-12-10T17:30:49Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#):
>
> This is why I never understood the claim that Obama was inexperienced. You gotta grow up fast in Illinois politics.
And you have to be unnaturally talented or unnaturally ethical to do it without getting caught up in _something_, whether of your own making or an associate’s. The fact that the worst anyone ever found out about Obama in both a very hot primary and a very hot general election (which suggests that that was the worst that anyone COULD find out about Obama) was that he once bought a house from Rezko is astounding.
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### Author:  [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)
#### Post date: [December 10, 2008, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-since-illinois-had-an-honest-governor/476516/11 "2008-12-10T22:05:32Z")
> [@jayjay](#):
>
> …The fact that the worst anyone ever found out about Obama in both a very hot primary and a very hot general election (which suggests that that was the worst that anyone COULD find out about Obama) was that he once bought a house from Rezko is astounding.
And encouraging, I’d say.