Jim Edgar - Later Life

Later Life

When U.S. Senator Peter Fitzgerald announced in spring 2003 that he would not run for re-election in 2004, the Bush administration approached Edgar about running for the seat. Due to his popularity that still exists today, Edgar was seen as a very formidable Senate candidate.

Edgar seemed likely to enter the race, but he suddenly announced he would not seek the seat, saying instead that he was giving his wife an early Mother's Day gift. His medical problems were also cited: he had recently undergone heart surgery. The Senate seat eventually was won by Democrat Barack Obama.

After months of speculation that he was once again considering getting back into politics, Jim Edgar announced at a press conference on September 30, 2005, that he would not challenge Governor Rod Blagojevich in 2006. Tearfully, Edgar said that he has reached the end of his political career.

The Jim Edgar Panther Creek State Fish and Wildlife Area, near Virginia, Illinois, is named in Edgar's honor.

Edgar is a distinguished fellow of the Institute of Government & Public Affairs at the University of Illinois in Champaign, Illinois. Edgar also serves on the Board of Directors of Friends of the World Food Program, a non-profit that supports the UN World Food Program and global hunger relief efforts.

Edgar gave the commencement speech at the University of Illinois College of Law graduation in May 2008.

In a Chicago Tribune op-ed after the arrest of then-Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, Edgar said that citizens need to get involved and pay attention to the actions of government officials, and noted that most news media covered investigations of Blagojevich in 2006, yet Blagojevich was still re-elected.