The governors of Illinois in their own words

Ah, interviews!

On the eve of the election of a new Illinois governor, here are personal reflections from Sneed’s gubernatorial interviews since 1970 … and an infamous sideline photo from 1970.

Let’s start from the end.

1.) Govt. JB Pritzker: (2019- ) Democrat

In a 2017 interview, Pritzker, the urban heir to Hyatt Hotels, recalled meeting his Midwestern wife’s parents, MK, in the dead of winter in South Dakota.

JB: “It was 30 below zero! I was with the park. Her father wore a coat that looked like Nanook of the North!

“He said there was a ‘Frozen Flesh Board’ outside.

“Frozen flesh! I had heard of a snow warning, a freezing rain warning. But not a tip for frozen flesh!

2.) Govt. Bruce Rauner (2015-2019) Republican.

In a 2017 interview Rauner, an extremely wealthy hedge fund man, claimed to enjoy riding his motorcycle from town to town, greeting residents down with his white cowboy hat while living in the governor’s mansion.

Rauner’s motorcycle support makes him feel “really wonderful.”

“It gives me energy, and I know it sounds weird, but my wife (Diana, Democrat) told me she hadn’t seen me this happy in 20 years,” he said. “I feel completely honored and humbled to be given the opportunity to improve the future of 13 million people.”

3. Government Pat Quinn: (2009-2015) Democrat.

Quinn, who cherishes his role as military commander in chief of 3,700 members of the National Guard, often referred to his father Patrick’s service in the Navy during World War II.

“At dinner, my father would sometimes say, ‘Three years! One month! And 15 days!’ in terms of time served on an aircraft carrier. He was very proud of his service before returning home and working for the Catholic cemetery.

“We used to have flags in the house put up on Memorial Day. Dad would leave at dawn to get to the cemetery to deal with huge crowds coming with flowers and memorial bouquets and notes to leave on the graves.

manager Rod Blagojevich: January 2003 – until impeachment and removal in 2009.

Private chat with former governor. Blagoevich four months before he was taken to jail in his jogging suit by FBI SWAT agents … was the height of weirdness.

Interviewed in Denver, site of the 2008 Democratic National Convention, Blago’s silver mane was still bottle brown; his demeanor was graceful but frenetic, and he continued to recite poetryRudyard Kipling.

In light of Blago’s subsequent federal imprisonment, Kipling’s poem … “IF you can trust yourself when all men doubt you” – later made sense.

manager George Ryan:1999-2003 Republican

In one of many exclusive interviews with Ryan, talking about the death of his wife, Lura Lynn, of cancer while in prison on federal corruption charges stood out.

“They told me I could either be with her when she died … or attend her funeral,” he said soon after his release from prison. “I couldn’t do both. By the time I visited her, it was too late to reassure her. I had to sit by her bedside while she was dying, but she didn’t even know I was there. Then they sent me back to prison,” he said. “I never saw her again.”

manager Jim Edgar: 1991-1999 two terms. a republican

An extremely popular governor who chose not to seek a third term, Governor Edgar’s time in office was also marked “socially” as a “dry” time at the governor’s mansion in Springfield.

A teetotaler, Edgar continued to use the mansion as a political meeting place with legislative dinners – but without the alcohol. He became the subject of constant harsh ribbing and negative nabob remarks in the press.

manager Jim Thompson: 1977-1991 Republican.

Thompson was a man of many qualities. And they all move at the speed of light. The only three-term governor in Illinois history and one of the state’s most astute politicians, “Big Jim” preceded his governorship with a highly distinguished term as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois … and ended it as head of the most prestigious law in city ​​companies. He was also known to drive his car with the siren blaring … and nothing meant more to him than his wife,jane, and daughter Samantha.

manager Dan Walker: 1973-1977 Democrat.

Attorney Dan Walker walked 1,197 miles across Illinois wearing a red bandana to win the governorship. An anti-machine reformer who was never afraid to speak his mind, Walker went to prison in 1988 for fraudulently obtaining $1.4 million in bank loans and was released in 1989 due to ill health. Personal phone calls to this column years later were a surprise; a chance to redefine his legacy and work in chat on his memoir: The Maverick and the Machine.

manager Richard Ogilvie: (1969-1973) Republican

In 1970, the new Republican Ogilvy administration was turned upside down by the “Shoebox” scandal, which brought me a shoe link: first line on the front page. The discovery of $820,000 in cash found in shoeboxes and metal containers in a Springfield hotel room occupied by a Democrat: Illinois Secretary of State Paul Powell it was stunning.

Like the popular ones Paul Powell, who died a week before the money and 30 cases of whiskey were found in the hotel’s storage, said:

“There’s only one thing worse than a defeated politician and that’s a broke politician.”

Don’t forget to vote on Monday!

Sneedlings…

Birthdays on Saturday: NFL starOdell Beckham Jr., 34; singer Bryan Adams, 62 and social kris jenner, 67. Sunday birthdays: basketball star Lamar Odom, 43; actress Thandie Newton, 50, and actress Sally Field, 76. … And a belated birthday for the impresario of the Rosebud restaurant Alex Dana on his 79th birthday last week and the 50th anniversary of his Chicago restaurant career, which began in 1972 with a small lunch at Washington Street and Wacker Drive. His favorite Rosebud recipe: Parmesan Chicken!