Edward Rell Madigan

Edward R. Madigan
24th United States Secretary of Agriculture
In office March 8, 1991 – January 20, 1993
President	George H. W. Bush
Preceded by	Clayton K. Yeutter
Succeeded by	Alphonso M. Espy
House Republican Chief Deputy Whip
In office January 3, 1987 – January 3, 1989
Whip	Trent Lott
Preceded by	Tom Loeffler
Succeeded by	Robert Smith Walker
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 15th district
In office January 3, 1983 – March 8, 1991
Preceded by	Tom Corcoran
Succeeded by	Thomas W. Ewing
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 21st district
In office January 3, 1973 – January 3, 1983
Preceded by	Kenneth J. Gray
Succeeded by	Melvin Price
Member of the Illinois House of Representatives
In office 1967–1973
Personal details
Born	Edward Rell Madigan January 13, 1936 Lincoln, Illinois U.S.
Died	December 7, 1994 (aged 58) Springfield, Illinois U.S.
Resting place	Holy Cross Cemetery Lincoln, Illinois U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Evelyn George Madigan (m. 1955 – 1994, his death)
Children	Kimberly Madigan Kellie Clapper Mary Elizabeth Gyori
Alma mater	Lincoln College (Illinois)
Religion	Roman Catholic

Edward Rell (Ed) Madigan (January 13, 1936 – December 7, 1994) was a businessman and a Republican Party politician from Lincoln, Illinois. He served almost twenty years in the United States House of Representatives 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 [Junior] College 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 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 Newt Gingrich of Georgia. Madigan served in Congress from 1973 to 1991, when Clayton Keith Yeutter resigned, and Madigan was appointed Secretary of Agriculture. Serving from 1991 to 1993, Madigan was the first Roman Catholic to serve as Secretary of Agriculture.^[1]

Death and Legacy

He died of complications from lung cancer on December 7, 1994 at St. John's Hospital in Springfield, Illinois at the age of 58. He and his wife, Mrs. Evelyn M. Madigan had three daughters: (Kimberly Madigan, of Washington, D.C., Kellie Clapper, of Bloomington, Illinois and Mary Elizabeth Gyori, of Leawood, Kansas).

In 1995, Edward R. Madigan State Fish and Wildlife Area, 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 for Lincoln, Illinois for several terms, then sat in the Illinois State Senate for 14 years and finally concluded his public service with a brief term on the Illinois Commerce Commission.

References

1. U.S. Catholic Politicians:

External links

• United States Congress. "Edward Rell Madigan (id: M000041)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.