George Ryan, Illinois Ex-Governor Who Halted Executions, Dies at 91

George Ryan, Illinois Ex Governor Who Halted Executions, Dies At 91

George Ryan didn’t tiptoe through his time in office — he blew the doors off it.

The former Illinois governor, once hailed and later jailed, died Thursday at his home in Kankakee, Illinois, at 91. The Associated Press confirmed he was under hospice care.

Ryan’s legacy? Complicated, for sure. But unforgettable.

He made headlines across the globe in 2000 when, as a Republican governor, he slapped a full stop on the death penalty in Illinois. “Until I can be sure that everyone sentenced to death is truly guilty… I cannot support a system which might result in the death of innocent people,” he famously said. That quote, by the way, is etched into modern debates on capital punishment.

Then in 2003 — weeks before leaving office — he cleared out death row. Literally. He commuted the sentences of all 167 inmates. That moment made international news, with The New York Times, BBC, and CNN covering the bombshell move. He called the justice system “haunted by the demon of error.”

But Ryan’s political career wasn’t all reform and redemption. The former pharmacist turned powerhouse politician got tangled in one of the state’s ugliest corruption scandals.

According to The Chicago Sun-Times, while he was Illinois Secretary of State, his office was selling commercial driver’s licenses — some to unqualified truckers — in exchange for bribes. One of those drivers later caused a fiery wreck that killed six children.

The feds came knocking.

Ryan was convicted in 2006 on 18 counts, including racketeering, fraud, and lying to the FBI. He served over five years in federal prison before being released in 2013. Still, he never fully apologized for the wrongdoing, though he did express remorse for the loss of life.

If Illinois politics is a roller coaster, George Ryan was the loop-de-loop.

From a death penalty abolitionist to a convicted felon, his story sounds more like an HBO mini-series than a political resume.

He is survived by his wife, Lura Lynn, and their family.

Love him or loathe him, one thing’s for sure — George Ryan left a mark. And in a state known for dramatic politics, that’s saying something.