Edward Rell "Ed" Madigan (January 13, 1936 – December 7, 1994) was a businessman and a

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa *Republican Party (Liberia) * Republican Part ...

politician from

Lincoln, Illinois Lincoln is a city in Logan County, Illinois, United States. First settled in the 1830s, it is the only town in the United States that was named for Abraham Lincoln before he became president; he practiced law there from 1847 to 1859. Lincoln is ...

. He served almost twenty years in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together the ...

and was U.S. Secretary of Agriculture under President George H. W. Bush.

Early life, education, and politics

Madigan was born in Lincoln on January 13, 1936. He attended Lincoln uniorCollege before starting his own taxicab business. He entered public service as a member of the Lincoln Board of Zoning Appeals from 1965 to 1969. During that time, he was elected to the

Illinois House of Representatives The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The House under the current constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 re ...

where he served from 1967 to 1973.

U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture

In November, 1972, he was elected as a Republican to the U.S. House of Representatives, and was subsequently elected to nine more terms. Madigan narrowly lost the race for Minority Whip in 1989 to future

Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hunger ...

Newt Gingrich of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to t ...

. Madigan served in Congress from 1973 to 1991, when Clayton Keith Yeutter resigned, and Madigan was appointed

Secretary of Agriculture The United States secretary of agriculture is the head of the United States Department of Agriculture. The position carries similar responsibilities to those of agriculture ministers in other governments. The department includes several organ ...

. Serving from 1991 to 1993, Madigan was the first Roman Catholic to serve as Secretary of Agriculture.

Death and legacy

He died of complications from

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from transformed, malign ...

on December 7, 1994, at St. John's Hospital in

Springfield, Illinois Springfield is the capital of the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat and largest city of Sangamon County. The city's population was 114,394 at the 2020 census, which makes it the state's seventh most-populous city, the second largest ...

, at the age of 58. He and his wife, Evelyn, had three daughters. In 1995,

Edward R. Madigan State Fish and Wildlife Area The Edward R. Madigan State Fish and Wildlife Area is a conservation area located in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is located south of Lincoln, Illinois. Founded in 1971 as ''Railsplitter State Park'', it was renamed in 1995 in honor of Edwar ...

, a state park near Lincoln, was renamed in Madigan's honor. Edward Madigan came from a politically active family. His younger brother Robert Madigan served as the

City Clerk A clerk is a senior official of many municipal governments in the English-speaking world. In some communities, including most in the United States, the position is elected, but in many others, the clerk is appointed to their post. In the UK, a Tow ...

for Lincoln, Illinois for several terms, then sat in the

Illinois State Senate The Illinois Senate is the upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the State of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. Under the ...

for 14 years and finally concluded his public service with a brief term on the

Illinois Commerce Commission The Illinois Commerce Commission is a quasi-judicial tribunal that regulates public utility services in the U.S. state of Illinois. The mission of the ICC is "to pursue an appropriate balance between the interest of consumers and existing and em ...

. In 1984, Illinois native, and future congressman from Nebraska

Don Bacon Donald John Bacon (born August 16, 1963) is an American politician and former military officer serving as the U.S. representative for Nebraska's 2nd congressional district since 2017. Before holding public office, he was a United States Air For ...

interned in Madigan's Washington, D.C., office.

References

External links

* , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Madigan, Edward Rell 1936 births 1994 deaths 20th-century American politicians Deaths from cancer in Illinois Deaths from lung cancer George H. W. Bush administration cabinet members Lincoln College (Illinois) alumni Republican Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives People from Lincoln, Illinois Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois United States Secretaries of Agriculture