How did Jim Ryan die? What happened? Cause of Death Explained

Jim Ryan was a lawyer and politician from the United States. He passed away at the age of 76. Let’s see how did he die, what happened, and what was Jim Ryan Cause of Death.

How did Jim Ryan die?

Ryan was the state’s attorney general from 1995 to 2003, and he campaigned for governor as a Republican in 2002.

Ryan worked as the State’s Attorney for DuPage County and in private practise before becoming Attorney General.

According to his family, the Chicago native has faced numerous personal tragedies and struggles during his life, including the loss of two of his six children, nearly losing his 54-year-old wife to a heart attack, overcoming cancer three times, and recovering from heart surgery.

Jim Ryan Cause of Death

Former Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan died “peacefully at home” on Sunday after a series of long illnesses, his family confirmed.

Ryan was the state’s attorney general from 1995 to 2003 and the Republican nominee for governor in 2002.

Ryan previously worked as the DuPage County State’s Attorney and in private practice before becoming attorney general.

The Chicago native has faced a number of personal tragedies and challenges throughout his life, including the deaths of two of his six children, nearly losing his wife of 54 years to a heart attack, beating cancer three times, and recovering from heart surgery his family said.

 

Jim Ryan’s Early Life

James E. Ryan was an American lawyer and politician who served as Illinois Attorney General for two four-year terms. He was a career Republican who received his party’s nomination and ran unsuccessfully against Rod Blagojevich for Governor of Illinois in 2002.

Since 2003, he had been a professor at Benedictine University. He ran for governor again in 2010 and led incumbent Governor Pat Quinn in aggregate polling, but he did not receive his party’s nomination, finishing fourth out of seven candidates.

 

Jim Ryan Personal Life

Ryan had six children with Marie, his high school sweetheart.

In 1996, Jim Ryan was diagnosed with Stage 2 non-Hodgkin lymphoma and began treatment. The youngest of Jim and Marie Ryan’s six children, 12-year-old Anne Marie, died of a brain tumor in January 1997.

Marie Ryan had a near-fatal heart attack while walking with her husband near their home in October 1997; the cause was later discovered to be an uncommon virus.

Patrick Ryan, Ryan’s son, was found dead inside their home on October 8, 2007, as a result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

 

Jim Ryan Education

Ryan was born in the city of Chicago in the state of Illinois. Edward Ryan, Ryan’s father, was a construction worker, and his mother, an Italian immigrant housewife.

Saint Procopius Academy, a Benedictine secondary school, was his alma mater. Ryan continued his education at Saint Procopius College (now Benedictine University), where he earned a bachelor of arts in political science in 1968. He then attended Chicago-Kent College of Law, earning his J.D. in 1971.

 

Jim Ryan’s Career

Ryan became a lawyer after landing a job with the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s office. He was elevated to first Assistant State’s Attorney after three years. Ryan left the government in 1976 to pursue a career in private practice.

Until 1984, he worked for independent law practice. Ryan ran for office for the first time that year and won. He was sworn in as the State’s Attorney for DuPage County, making him the district’s top prosecutor. In 1988, he was re-elected, and in 1992, he was re-elected again.

Ryan, who was dubbed “Illinois’ most successful prosecutor” by local media, was pushed to compete for the state’s highest legal post. Ryan was elected as the Attorney General of Illinois in 1994.

In 2010, he ran for Governor of Illinois but lost to State Senator Bill Brady in the Republican primary. He was widely chastised for his role in the wrongful convictions of Rolando Cruz and Alex Hernandez in the murder of Jeanine Nicarico.

Tribute to Jim Ryan’s Death

Chicago Sun-Times said,

James E. Ryan, a two-term Illinois attorney general from 1995-2003 who twice ran unsuccessfully for governor, died Sunday “after several lengthy illnesses,” according to a family statement. He was 76.

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