George Ryan
George Homer Ryan (born February 24, 1934 in Maquoketa, Iowa) was the governor of the U.S. state of Illinois from 1999 until 2003. He was a member of the Republican Party. A former pharmacist, Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives, Lt. Governor, and Secretary of State, he was elected governor in 1998, defeating his Democratic opponent, congressman Glenn Poshard, by a 51%-47% margin.
Ryan's term in office was marked by a scandal involving the illegal sale of government licenses, contracts and leases by state employees during his prior service as Secretary of State; in the wake of numerous convictions of former aides, he chose not to run for reelection in 2002. In December 2003 he was indicted on 18 federal racketeering, fraud and conspiracy charges. His trial got underway in September, 2005. The scandals are widely believed to have hurt the chances for Republicans to hold the governorship; Jack Ryan (no relation) lost to Rod Blagojevich in the 2002 election, ending 25 years of Republican governorships.
One of Ryan's pet projects as governor was an extensive repair of the Illinois Highway System called "Illinois FIRST." FIRST was an acronym for "Fund for Infrastructure, Roads, Schools, and Transit." Signed into law in May 1999, the law created a $6.3 billion package for use in school and transportation projects. With various matching funds programs, Illinois FIRST provided $2.2 billion for schools, $4.1 billion for public transportation, another $4.1 billion for roads, and $1.6 billion for other projects.
Ryan gained national attention shortly before leaving office when he announced on January 11, 2003 that he had commuted the sentences of everyone on or waiting to be sent to death row in Illinois—a total of 167 convicts—due to his belief that the death penalty was incapable of being administered fairly. He also pardoned four inmates - Aaron Patterson, Madison Hobley and Leroy Orange, who were freed, and Stanley Howard, who was pardoned but remained in prison due to a separate conviction.
He had previously imposed a state-wide moratorium on executions in 2000.